It was on October 28
two hundred forty-six years ago today….
A Hessian soldier, fighting during the Battle of White Planes, was decapitated when a cannonball shattered his head. No surprise that the remains of his head could not be retrieved when his comrades came to carry his body off the battlefield. The Hessian (sans head) was later buried at the Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow, NY.*
Apparently, the loss of his head, causing his premature death did not sit well with the Hessian, and he cannot rest. It’s said he rises from his grave every Halloween night and, clad head-to-toe in black, rides upon a black steed to avenge his death and search for his head. If he can’t find his it’s said he’ll take yours. No wonder the Headless Horseman became synonymous with Halloween horror.
Most American audiences may have been introduced to our hero through Washington Irving’s (a New York native whose house in Terrytown is about 4 miles from the Sleep Hallow Cemetery) 1820 story, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Although Irving’s tale IS set in New York state his legend tells a slightly different tale.
And, kill-joys that they are, the people at Wikipedia tell us “The Headless Horseman is a mythical figure who has appeared in folklore around the world since the Middle Ages.” Many variations on the
theme exist around the world, especially Ireland (‘Dulachán’), Scotland (‘Ewen of the Little Head’), and Germany (‘Wild Huntsman’).
If you prefer the more cerebral, Franz Potter, a Gothic studies professor at National University, says that the headless horseman, as a supernatural entity, represents a past that never dies, but always haunts the living. (Read more at https://www.grunge.com/215250/the-legend-of-the-headless-horseman-explained/?utm_campaign=clip)
No wonder this rider, synonymous with Halloween horror, has been a popular guy over the years
having been commemorated not only in books but comics, film, television, video games, bars and taverns, Halloween attractions of course, and even postage stamps.
If you want to pay the Headless Horseman a visit before he comes for your head, local lore tells us that
he’s buried inSleepy Hollow Cemetery, 430 North Broadway,
Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591 if you leave now
you might even catch him before he rides again!
Have you had real Halloween scare click? ‘Myth or Reality’ and tell us.
*https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/headless-horseman/