TheHeadless Horseman is an archetype ofmythical figure that has appeared infolklore aroundEurope since theMiddle Ages.[1] The figures are traditionally depicted as riders on horseback who are missing their heads. These myths have since inspired a number of stories and characters in culture around the world, including "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
Depending on the legend, the Horseman is either carrying his head, or is missing his head altogether, and may be searching for it. Famous examples include thedullahan fromIreland, who is a demonic fairy usually depicted riding a horse and carrying his head under his arm, and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," a short story written in 1820 by American writerWashington Irving, which has been adapted into several other works of literature and film including the 1949Disney animated filmThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and the 1999Tim Burton filmSleepy Hollow.
Thedullahan ordulachán ("dark man") is a headless, demonic fairy, usually riding a horse and carrying his head under his arm.[2] Some versions of the story claim thedullahan is the spirit ofCrom Dubh, aCeltic god worshipped in Ireland until the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 6th century.[3] He wields a whip made from a human corpse's spine. When thedullahan stops riding, a death occurs. Thedullahan calls out a name, at which point the named person immediately dies.[3] In another version, he is the headless driver of a black carriage, theCóiste Bodhar.[4] A similar figure, thegan ceann ("without a head"), can be frightened away by wearing a gold object or putting one in his path.[5]
The most prominentScottish tale of the headless horseman concerns a man named Ewen decapitated in a clan battle at Glen Cainnir on theIsle of Mull. The battle denied him any chance to be achieftain, and both he and his horse are headless in accounts of his haunting of the area.[6] Among the HighlandScottish diaspora inCape Breton,Nova Scotia, seeing the image or hearing the sound of a horse or headless rider is traditionally regarded as an omen of an imminent death within the family.[7]
A number of stories of headless horsemen and women are also found inWelsh folklore. The "Fenyw heb un pen" (English: The headless woman) who rides a "Ceffyl heb un pen" (English: horse without a head). Bryn Hall inLlanymawddwy is said to have been haunted by a headless horseman which only came to an end when one of the Hall's servants discerned a message from the horseman identifying the location of a buried body. The body was said to be that of an illegitimate child fathered by the Lord of Bryn Hall.[8]
As Wales shares cultural similarities with Cornwall, it is possible that a version of the Welsh horsemen (or a Cornish equivalent) may have been what was known to the parents of Washington Irving, who originated in Cornwall.[9]
In Germany, headless-horseman stories come mostly from theRhineland. Rather than using decapitation, the headless horsemen killed their victims simply by touching them. They wererevenants who had to wander the earth until they had atoned for their sins, sometimes by doing a good deed for a stranger, but instead of showing their gratitude by shaking hands, the stranger and the horseman held a tree branch between them and the branch would wither and die rather than the stranger.[10] Another version of the legend spoke ofDer Kopflose Reiter (the headless horseman), who would warn the living of impending danger and chase down and punish the wicked.[11]
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Dartmoor, an area inEngland's ceremonial countyDevon, is said to be haunted by a headless rider.[12] InArthurian legend, a figure known as theGreen Knight appeared beforeKing Arthur's court and challenged one man to come forward and strike him with his axe, warning them that he will strike them the same blow in a year.Gawain, Arthur's nephew, accepted the challenge and beheaded the knight, who proceeded to retrieve his head and remind Gawain to meet him at the Green Chapel to fulfill his half of the challenge.[13]
In southernTexas, stories of a figure known as "El Muerto" have circulated since the mid-1800s. El Muerto is said to dangle his head from his saddle, and his horse is variably said to produce lightning from its hooves as they strike the ground.[14] It has been speculated that this particular iteration of the headless horseman was based on another legend in which a man was captured and beheaded for stealing horses. The man was then "made an example" when his killers tied his decapitated body to awild horse, tied the head to the pommel of the saddle, and sent the horse on its way.[15]
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Washington Irving's story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" features a character known as the Headless Horseman believed to be aHessian soldier who was decapitated by a cannonball in battle during theAmerican War of Independence.[16] Irving travelled in Germany in 1821 and had become familiar with Dutch and German folklore.[17] In particular, the last of the "Legenden von Rübezahl" ('Legends ofRübezahl') fromJohann Karl August Musäus's literary retellings of German folktales (Volksmärchen der Deutschen, 1783) is said to have inspiredThe Legend of Sleepy Hollow.[18][need quotation to verify]
The comic book seriesChopper, written byMartin Shapiro, is a modern-day reimagining of the Headless Horseman. It features a headless outlaw biker on a motorcycle who collected the souls of sinners. The only people who can see him are those who have consumed a strange newEcstasy-like drug that triggers theirsixth sense and opens a gateway to the afterlife. During the hallucinogenic high, any characters who have committed significant sins are hunted by the headless ghost. Once the drug wears off, the victim is safe and beyond the Headless Horseman's reach.[19][20][21]
The Headless Horseman appears in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" segment of the 1949 filmThe Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. Just like the story, the Headless Horseman pursues Ichabod Crane which ends with the Headless Horseman throwing his pumpkin head at him. While it was mentioned what happened to Ichabod's hat was found near the shattered pumpkin, a rumor was mentioned that he has married a wealthy widow in a distant county with children who look like him. While the original story implies that the Horseman was merely Brom Bones in disguise, the film depicts him as an actual ghost.[22] This rendition of the Headless Horseman was also featured in the television seriesHouse of Mouse in recurring cameo appearances, and in the 2023 short filmOnce Upon a Studio.[23]
In the 1939Will Hay comedy filmAsk a Policeman, a headless horseman appears in connection with a smuggling ring.[24]
In the 1999Tim Burton filmSleepy Hollow, the Headless Horseman is the ghost of a murderous Hessian mercenary (performed byRay Park in Headless Horseman form and portrayed byChristopher Walken in his true form) summoned by Katrina Van Tassel's stepmother Lady Van Tassel to eliminate her enemies after she stole his skull from his grave and used it to control him. After Ichabod Crane returns his skull, the Horseman returns toHell, taking Lady Van Tassel with him.
The 2007Sci Fi Channel filmHeadless Horseman takes the tack that Irving's story was the "white-washed" version and the events in this horror film is the real story. It starsRichard Moll andBilly Aaron Brown and is directed byAnthony C. Ferrante.
The 2022The Asylum filmHeadless Horseman directed by Jose Prendes.
TheKolchak: The Night Stalker episode "Chopper" (initially broadcast on January 31, 1975)[25] features a headless motorcyclist who enacts revenge for the loss of his head on a rival biker gang,[26][27] 20 years after his murder.[28]
The 1999 Season 4Hey Arnold! episode 14 "The Headless Cabbie" depicts a headless cab driver.[29]
TheMidsomer Murders episode "The Dark Rider" (Series 15, Episode 1) shows a murder within a family who believes seeing a headless horseman is the mark of death, only for secrets to unravel the true culprit.[30]
The 2013 seriesSleepy Hollow, loosely inspired by Irving's original story, depicts the Headless Horseman as both the ghost of Abraham "Brom" Bones and as one of theFour Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
The Headless Horseman is the central character in multiple video games such asDullahan andHeadless Jack. The horseman also appears in many other games such asAssassin's Creed III,Assassin's Creed Rogue,The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth,The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim,Castlevania: Rondo of Blood,Roblox,Fate/Grand Order,Team Fortress 2 andWorld of Warcraft as a minor or secret and usually adversarial character or even an in-game costume.[31]
The Headless Horseman mascot forSleepy Hollow High School, inWestchester County, New York, has been referred to as "America's scariest high school mascot".[32] Since 1983,Conner Prairie Interactive Historic Park inFishers, Indiana has held a Headless Horseman festival celebrating the legend with a haunted corn maze and other activities.[33] The horseman is also seen as acostumed character on a horse.
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