Csongor has a broad, weather-browned face and a thick, carefully trimmed mustache that curls unevenly at one corner. His hair is iron-gray, coarse as a scrub brush, and usually pressed flat beneath his cap. He stands with his weight settled on the balls of his feet, as if testing whether the ground will hold; when he walks, he advances in short, deliberate steps and pauses at thresholds to look at the lintel. His coat smells faintly of beeswax, wet wool, and the smoke from his forge. The unexpectedly gentle thing about him is the way he handles moths: he cups them without crushing their wings and carries them outdoors.

Csongor is observant and cautious, yet not naturally cruel; he will offer a stranger hot tea while quietly memorizing their boots. He is proud of his judgment but privately worries that love has made him foolish. Around Mary he tries to sound practical and becomes overbearing; alone with Ossian he is courteous to the point of strain. When relaxed, he is unexpectedly patient with small creatures and children. When frightened, he turns every conversation into an examination.

Csongor spent most of his life as a village farrier, learning to judge a horse's health from the sound of its shoes on stone and a stranger's truthfulness from what they notice first. Years ago, during a flood, he watched Mary cling to a roof beam while he waded through the current to reach her. He saved her, but she came away with a lifelong fear of rushing water, and he never forgave himself for having brought her too close to the river that day. Since then he has tried to protect her by anticipating danger, a habit she finds smothering. Mary brought Ossian home as a companion and perhaps more; Csongor has noticed that Ossian's stories about childhood shift in small, precise ways, and that dogs sometimes stop barking when he passes. He is collecting reasons before he confronts him, fearing both that Ossian is not human and that his suspicion could cost Mary the person she trusts. Meanwhile, the village reeve wants him to repair a broken mill gear before the next harvest, and Csongor keeps putting the work off to watch Ossian.