event horizon

Tulikettu - The Finnish Fire Fox

What is a tulikettu?

Tulikettu is from Finnish folklore and is translated to Fire Fox. It is a part of the Finn's legend of the northern lights, or as they call it, the revontulet (fox fires). Unfortunately, very little of the Finn's folklore has been salvaged - their stories only made it into writing in the 1600's and men from outside of the culture are the people who originally chose what got cemented in parchment. These were only 12 deities. It wasn't until the 1900's that other folklore got written down in the Kalevala, Finland's national epic. However, I was able to scrounge up some information on the tulikettu, however basic it is.

The tulikettu is a magic fox, who has the ability to spark the northern lights. Sometimes it is described as giant or larger than usual, and sometimes described as having a black coat during the day. It's coat sparkles and glows under certain conditions, such as when it is pet. In some places, it is believed that there can only be one at a time - similar to some myths about the phoenix. It creates the northern lights by running along the snowy mountains, its tail glimmering and sending sparks up to the sky along with the snow (with the sparks I believe it to be more an 'electric' fox rather than fire). Many hunters sought after the tulikettu, as they believed that catching one would mean endless wealth. They also wanted the pelt to light up dangerous coal mines, as the pelt would be able to naturally brighten the darkness without the danger that fire and oil lamps brought.

Due to the unusual coloration as well as the sparks given off of its fur, I believe the tulikettu to be related to the arctic fox. This kind of fox has two different morphs, white and blue. The blue morph, despite its name, is actually a dark grey or black fox. Both however, have different colors based on the season. Even the white morph has a dark grey-brown coat in the summer. As for the electricity, arctic fox coats are naturally prone to static electricity - moreso than other foxes. In the winter when you pet an arctic fox, you may even be able to see the glow from the sparks that the static creates when the fur is disturbed.

◇─◇──◇──❄️──◇──◇─◇

Now, why do I believe that I may be one?

Let's start with why I am similar to an arctic fox. For those that are not too familiar with this kind of fox, I'll list some facts about them.
Arctic foxes are also known as white foxes, polar foxes, and snow foxes. They are native to many places throughout the arctic circle. It is best known for its winter coat, the thick white fur. It has many adaptations to help it survive in it's cold climate, such as a generally rounded body shape, small ears and snout, and thick fur. It typically preys on small creatures like lemmings and mice, but it is actually an omnivore! It also eats berries, seaweed, insects, and generally anything it can get its paws on. It occasionally eats larger animals too, but typically does not take them down itself. Instead, it steals food from polar bears and other predators. It even is able to feast on fish and other marine life that they catch themselves. Arctic foxes are monogamous and more solitary than many other species of fox. They typically only live with a mate, their current litter, and one female from their previous litter that acts like a nanny. They are diurnal (they are usually active during the day), they make large dens, and they store calories for winter both in the form of caching previous prey as well as putting on a little weight. They mainly use their sense of smell and hearing to hunt their prey during the winter - when the other small animals are hiding in the snow. Arctic foxes are also nomadic, they have to travel large distances to hunt each day. However, they always come back to their burrows.

How does this apply to me?
M

y ideal habitat is the same as most arctic foxes: coastal and cold. A large part of my own ancestry even comes from places they live. When I am able to choose my own diet, most of it is the same as an arctic fox. Meat as a majority, berries, and leafy greens (excluding things a wild fox is unable to get such as dairy products). I am not fond of large gatherings in real life. I am happiest with my partner and certain family members - or people close enough to be family. I am an introvert though, with everyone except my partner I need much time to recharge between social gatherings.
I have the opposite of claustrophobia. Wide open spaces like prairies make me kinda nervous, but small rooms, pillow forts, etc, are really comforting. I imagine a den would also be nice. Like the arctic fox, I have a few adaptations for a cold climate. I also have a short nose and ears, I have rounded features, and I naturally have a little more weight than most. In my current climate, I actually overheat very easily in the summer (the hottest day in the past five years has only been 115°f). Like foxes, I instinctually make a wide array of strange noises. Purring, yelping, whining, etc. The only other person I know that makes these noises is my partner, a kitsune. However, he does not purr - arctic foxes do.
Without going into too much detail, I have similar courtship practices. I am monogamous - before I met my current partner I legitimately felt as though I was unable to love. When he came along, it was almost instantaneous. Now I cannot think of myself with anyone else without being grossed out. I have a tendancy to try to buy things in bulk and store it away rather than buying small amounts more frequently. My body also naturally stores more fat than most others - no matter my diet or how much I exercise. In middle school and early highschool, I had this weird urge to dig a lot. To my parents displeasure, I ended up doing it quite a bit. I was never able to get all too far, but it is a bit strange how much fun I have doing it. I also have much better senses than most of my peers, the only people I know that have a better sense of smell are my partner and his grandmother.
One reason I really started to get into the therian community was due to my phantom limbs. There are two that I have that are very strong and very frequent - one of which is fox ears and tail (as well as digitigrade legs). It also makes sense as to why I was able to connect with my partner so quickly and easily. He may not be an arctic fox specifically, but he is another fox based supernatural. Intuition must count for something eh?/hj
Now, I have some traits that also apply to the tulikettu specifically, such as my affinity for electricity and snow. I would definitely be a very large arctic fox assuming that conservation of mass is true for shifters. However, without more information about what sets them apart from regular foxes, I'm not too sure. I'm thinking about trying to contact spirits of them in the astral to help. If anyone has advice on this, please dm or comment!