Headless Horseman
E12709
The Headless Horseman is a legendary ghostly rider who haunts the night in Washington Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” terrifying locals as a fearsome, decapitated specter in search of his lost head.
Observed surface forms (5)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| Headless Horseman Bridge (site) | 1 |
| Headless Horseman legend | 1 |
| The Headless Horseman | 1 |
| The Headless Horseman (mysterious rider) | 1 |
| the Headless Horseman | 1 |
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
fictional character
ⓘ
ghost ⓘ legendary creature ⓘ literary character ⓘ mythological rider ⓘ |
| adaptedAs |
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949 film)
ⓘ
surface form:
Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
Sleepy Hollow (1999 film) ⓘ Sleepy Hollow (TV series) ⓘ |
| alignment | antagonist ⓘ |
| appearsIn | The Legend of Sleepy Hollow ⓘ |
| associatedWith |
American folklore
ⓘ
Hudson Valley ⓘ Sleepy Hollow ⓘ Tarry Town ⓘ |
| associatedWithCharacter |
Brom Bones
ⓘ
Ichabod Crane ⓘ Katrina Van Tassel ⓘ |
| basedOn | Hessian soldier ⓘ |
| causeOfDecapitation | cannonball ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| creator | Washington Irving ⓘ |
| culturalImpact |
frequently adapted in film and television
ⓘ
icon of Halloween imagery ⓘ |
| eraOfDeath | American Revolutionary War ⓘ |
| firstAppearance | The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. ⓘ |
| firstPublicationDate | 1820 ⓘ |
| gender | male ⓘ |
| haunts |
Old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow
ⓘ
surface form:
Old Dutch Church and churchyard
Sleepy Hollow ⓘ |
| languageOfWork | English ⓘ |
| literaryGenre |
Gothic fiction
ⓘ
short story ⓘ |
| motivation | search for his missing head ⓘ |
| movementType | horseback riding ⓘ |
| notableFeature |
carries a jack-o'-lantern
ⓘ
headless ⓘ rides a horse ⓘ searches for his lost head ⓘ |
| notableScene | chase of Ichabod Crane at the bridge ⓘ |
| occupationInLife | Hessian trooper ⓘ |
| pursues | Ichabod Crane ⓘ |
| relatedWork | The Headless Horseman (1865 novel by Mayne Reid) ⓘ |
| residenceAfterDeath | graveyard near Sleepy Hollow ⓘ |
| settingOfLegend | Dutch-settled American village ⓘ |
| species | undead spirit ⓘ |
| symbolizes |
lingering horrors of war
ⓘ
superstition in early America ⓘ |
| timeOfActivity |
Halloween (in later adaptations)
ⓘ
night ⓘ |
Referenced by (11)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Headless Horseman legend
subject surface form:
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
subject surface form:
The Headless Horseman
this entity surface form:
The Headless Horseman (mysterious rider)
this entity surface form:
Headless Horseman Bridge (site)
subject surface form:
The Headless Horseman
this entity surface form:
The Headless Horseman
this entity surface form:
the Headless Horseman