The animal itself
Foxes appear to use the earth's magnetic field to judge distance when pouncing on prey under snow, striking most successfully when facing north-east. One of the few documented cases of an animal using magnetism to aim.1 of 2 calendars · 4,400 searches a month
Fox
Cleverness applied to obstacles.
Which calendar assigns it, and when
Celtic calendar
18 March – 14 April
Its tree
Alder
Only the Celtic calendar assigns this one. Anyone born in these dates gets a different animal from the other system — the two agree on 4.7% of days →
What it stands for, and where that came from
Cleverness applied to obstacles — the route around rather than through.
Honoured in: Japanese kitsune as shapeshifter and messenger of Inari; Aesop as the trickster; Finnish myth has the fox creating the northern lights with its tail.
The symbolism usually grew out of the behaviour rather than the other way round — which is the part worth keeping when the rest is set aside.