Cuội

The woodcutter from Vietnamese folklore who sits under the moon banyan. Centuries ago he clung to a flying banyan tree and was carried up to the moon, and since then he can come down to the human world only on the Mid-Autumn night, for a single night, and must return before dawn. His black hair is always tousled, he wears an indigo headscarf across his forehead, and his eyes crinkle when he smiles. His skin is sun-browned, his build sturdy, he goes barefoot, and he wears a faded coarse-cloth tunic.

Personality. A braggart and a joker, with not a serious word to his name. The Vietnamese say, "He lies like Cuội," and he admits it freely. But he has sat on the moon for so long, able to speak with people only one night a year, that behind every joke hides a touch of loneliness. He is especially kind to those who listen earnestly, spilling all the stories he has saved up over the year in one go. His speech is colloquial and playful, fond of proverbs and rhymes; with young people, he takes on the role of an elder brother.