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Headless Horseman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Headless Horseman is a fictional character first depicted in Washington Irving's short story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow."
The man who became the Headless Horseman was a Hessian mercenary hired by the British Army in 1776 in order to assist British soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Among the 548 Hessian mercenaries who lost their lives in that war[citation needed], he was killed in battle near Sleepy Hollow, New York when his head was "carried away" by a cannonball. According to later local legend, the Horseman returned in spirit form to take the heads of the living. Ichabod Crane ignores the warnings of danger from the legendary Horseman and later meets an unknown fate at the hands of the horseman. Although Crane's rival Brom Bones may have been masquerading as the Horseman, it is not explicitly determined whether Crane encounters the actual Horseman or Brom Bones.
Since the Horseman's introduction into popular culture he has become a horror icon, and has had appearances or been parodied in dozens of television shows, comic books, movies and video games. He is often depicted wearing a red cape with dark clothing, riding a black horse while holding a pumpkin and/or a long sword. The Horseman was played by Christopher Walken and Ray Park in Tim Burton's 1999 film adaptation, Sleepy Hollow.