In 1820 Washington Irving publish the Legend of Sleepy Hollow in a book of collected works. Since then the legend has been told and retold and made into several movies and is even the basis of a t.v. show.
But long before Irving's Legend of Sleepy Hollow there was a similar headless phantom riding through the mists of Ireland known as the dullahan. The dullahan is a herald that rides to claim the souls of those about to perish. The dullahan may appear as a headless coachman driving a coach pulled by six headless horses or as a rider on a single horse holding his severed head aloft. The dullahan's head is something terrible and amazing to behold, it has beady black eyes that dart about and the rotting flesh is stretched over the face like moldy glowing cheese. That's right, it glows. This glowing head acts as a lantern helping the dullahan to see those about to die over large distances. The dullahan will sometimes call out the name of the person about to die, similar to the bean-sidhe, although some tales suggest that if one covers their ears and doesn't hear the call death may pass them by. Unlike the bean-sidhe, the dullahan doesn't favor specific families being an equal opportunity grim reaper. The dullahan also has this nasty habit of tossing basins of blood at unwanted witnesses.
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the dullahan's origins, though it is believed the he is the embodiment of an ancient Celtic god known as Crom Dubh or Black Crom, who was honored by King Tighermas with human sacrifices. The favored method of sacrificing the victims? Decapitation, of course. The theory is that with the advent of Christianity and the decline of human sacrifices Crom Dubh took on the phantom form of the dullahan. The dullahan has one weakness. He seems to suffer from Aurophobia, the fear of gold. In one tale, a man was traveling home one night when he heard the thumping of horses hooves on the road behind him. When he turned he saw a great black horse galloping towards him, breathing sparks. the rider was just as fearsome looking, carrying his severed glowing head aloft. The terrified man began to run away. As he ran he dropped a gold coin. The dullahan stopped short before the gold, gave a tremendous cry and vanished into the night.
Resources:
Haggarty, Bridget. "The Dullahan Ireland's Headless Horseman". Irish culture and customs. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Dullahan.html
"Irish dullahan". Mystical Mythology. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.bellaterreno.com/art/irish/fairy/irishdullahan.aspx
"The Dullahan". Hidden Ireland. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.irelandseye.com/paddy3/preview.htm
There is a lot of mystery surrounding the dullahan's origins, though it is believed the he is the embodiment of an ancient Celtic god known as Crom Dubh or Black Crom, who was honored by King Tighermas with human sacrifices. The favored method of sacrificing the victims? Decapitation, of course. The theory is that with the advent of Christianity and the decline of human sacrifices Crom Dubh took on the phantom form of the dullahan. The dullahan has one weakness. He seems to suffer from Aurophobia, the fear of gold. In one tale, a man was traveling home one night when he heard the thumping of horses hooves on the road behind him. When he turned he saw a great black horse galloping towards him, breathing sparks. the rider was just as fearsome looking, carrying his severed glowing head aloft. The terrified man began to run away. As he ran he dropped a gold coin. The dullahan stopped short before the gold, gave a tremendous cry and vanished into the night.
Resources:
Haggarty, Bridget. "The Dullahan Ireland's Headless Horseman". Irish culture and customs. Web. 30 Oct. 2013. http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ACalend/Dullahan.html
"Irish dullahan". Mystical Mythology. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.bellaterreno.com/art/irish/fairy/irishdullahan.aspx
"The Dullahan". Hidden Ireland. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. http://www.irelandseye.com/paddy3/preview.htm
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