The Kitsune's Tear

The Kitsune's Tear is a binary star comprised of two stars, Inari and Sopdet. To the naked eye, these two stars appear as one, and together form the brightest star in the Runiverse sky.

At certain times of the year, The Kitsune’s Tear is visible during the daylight hours and its yearly heliacal rise summons quantum flooding of the rivers near the Chronomancer’s Riviera.

It is located in the “eye” of The Kitsune Constellation in The Runic Zodiac, and its flickering brightness resembles a glimmering tear drop, hence its name.

The Kitsune's Tear is located in the "eye" of The Kitsune Constellation.

Folklore

Ancient folktales tell of the twin stars as being home to the Seven Tailed Kitsune Beast (sometimes called by the name Inari) and her enemy, Sopdet the Star Eater.

Many of these tales tell of Sopdet’s attempts to swallow Inari’s star to illuminate her inner darkness, and of the Kitsune’s clever ways of outsmarting Sopdet to defend her home.

In most stories the Kitsune thwarts every attempt Sopdet makes but, in one variation, the Kitsune allows Sopdet to eat her star to demonstrate that you can not become brighter by extinguishing light. Instead the star causes much upset in Sopdet’s belly and she ultimately belches it up; defeated by a tummy-ache.

These stories are often taught to children as fables warning them about the dangers of greed and the virtues of using one’s mind to solve problems.

A closeup view of Inari and Sopdet, the twin stars that make up the Kitsune's Tear

A Scholarly View

A more obscure story tells a different tale, though few but the most knowledgeable scholars know of it. In this telling, the plot takes on a much darker tone. It follows Sopdet’s violent war against the Kitsune beast, resulting in celestial death and destruction on their homestars that cause rifts in the fabric of space-time

In this sense, the Kitsune’s “Tear” takes on a different meaning. It is not a teardrop, but a "tear" or rip in space-time itself.

It is said the Kitsune sacrificed herself to bind herself with Sopdet permanently, banishing them both to another dimension to prevent any more harm from being done. Some scholars believe Kitsune and Sopdet will be freed from their binding and the war will begin anew.

Other Names

• The Tearmaker - The Peixan Tribe

Lore

https://www.forgottenrunes.com/lore/wizards/8995/0

https://www.forgottenrunes.com/lore/wizards/1527/0

Trivia

• The Kitsune's Tear plays an important role in the forthcoming graphic novel, Canis Coven, by Tania del Rio.