User:CleanEen/Headless Horseman

The Headless Horseman is an archetype of mythical figure that has appeared in folklore around Europe since the Middle Ages. The figures are traditionally depicted as riders upon horseback who are missing their heads. These myths have since inspired a number of stories and characters in popular culture, including The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Description
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 the dullahan from Ireland, 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 writer Washington Irving, which has been adapted into several other works of literature and film including the 1949 Disney animated film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and the 1999 Tim Burton film Sleepy Hollow.

In Irish folklore
Some versions of the story claim the dullahan is the spirit of Crom Dubh, a Celtic god worshipped in Ireland until the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 6th century. He wields a whip made from a human corpse's spine. When the dullahan stops riding, a death occurs. The dullahan calls out a name, at which point the named person immediately dies.

A similar figure, the gan ceann ("without a head"), can be frightened away by wearing a gold object or putting one in his path.

In Scottish folklore
The most prominent Scottish tale of the headless horseman concerns a man named Ewen decapitated in a clan battle at Glen Cainnir on the Isle of Mull. The battle denied him any chance to be a chieftain, and both he and his horse are headless in accounts of his haunting of the area.

In German folklore
Another version of the legend spoke of Der Kopfloser Reiter (the headless horseman), who would warn the living of impending danger and chase down and punish the wicked.

In English folklore
Dartmoor, an area in England's ceremonial county Devon, is said to be haunted by a headless rider. In Arthurian legend, a figure known as the Green Knight appeared before 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, King 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.

In American folklore
In southern Texas, 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. 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 a wild horse, tied the head to the pommel of the saddle, and sent the horse on its way.

Book
Irving travelled in Germany in 1821 and had become familiar with Dutch and German folklore. In particular the last of the "Legenden von Rübezahl" (Legends of Rübezahl) from Johann Karl August Musäus's literary retellings of German folktales (Volksmärchen der Deutschen, 1783) is said to have inspired The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.