Cultural Practices: Banyan-Grove Tree Pt. 2
The banyan tree is also significant in Vietnamese mythology as well. There are many variations to the legend, but it always involves a man named Chú Cuội and his banyan tree:
According to one version of the story, Chú Cuội finds an enchanted banyan tree whose leaves can be used to heal all illness and injuries. Using these leaves, he saves the life of a princess, who becomes his wife. The two live happily together until Chú Cuội’s wife begins chopping away at the banyan tree’s roots, wanting to clear some of the land to make room for a garden. This hurts and angers the tree, causing it to uproot itself and float up into the sky. Chú Cuội sees this and recklessly grabs one of the banyan’s roots, hoping to pull it back down to Earth. Instead, Chú Cuội gets dragged into the sky alongside the tree, which eventually replants itself onto the surface of the moon. Chú Cuội must now live on the moon, forever longing for his wife; all because the two did not respect the banyan tree and everything that it did for them.
Thus, the banyan tree is often associated with spirituality, the moon, tragic love, and respect for nature in Vietnamese culture.
When considering the themes of this myth, is it any wonder why Water Tribers were drawn to the banyan-grove or why Sokka and Katara were so affected by the swamp? Due to China’s influence on Vietnamese culture, some versions of the myth even say that the moon goddess Chang’e likes to hang around the banyan tree as well.
With all this context in mind, that makes just about ten million reasons why Sokka should not have been antagonizing that banyan tree— aka the healing moon tree of enlightenment and tragic love that also attracts ghosts.
