Added by Creature_Feature on 2007-02-18 20:23:47 Name: Headless Horseman First Appearance: 1820 Media Type: Book Media Title: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Headless Horseman first appeared in a short story by Washington Irving in 1820.

The Headless Horseman is portrayed as the ghost of a Hessian trooper who lost his head during a battle near Sleepy Hollow in the American Revolutionary War. This cursed soul is said to ride forth on his fearsome steed to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head.

A school teacher named Ichabod Crane and another man, Abraham Van Brunt were rivals who were competing for the love of the daughter of a rich farmer, Katrina Van Tassel. One night Ichabod is chased by the horseman, never to be seen again.

There is a distinct implication that Brunt used the legend of the Headless Horseman to scare Ichabod off.

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