Dullahan / The Headless Horseman

This piece depicts the Dullahan, a figure from Irish folklore. He is often described as a headless rider, and sometimes known as the Headless Horseman. He is an omen of death; wherever the Dullahan stops, someone is said to die soon after. In many stories, it rides to the home of a doomed person and calls out their name, summoning their soul.

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Though the Dullahan has no head on its shoulders, it carries one with it, either held high in its hand or resting near the saddle. The head is often described as pale, eerie, and corpse-like, glowing faintly with decay in the dark. This unsettling light is supposed to guide the rider through the Irish countryside at night.

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The Dullahan has been said to have appeared on a road called Sleepy Hollow in the U.S., and by coincidence, my elementary school was on a Sleepy Hollow Road as well! The older kids would scare the younger ones by saying the Headless Horseman would come after them; I secretly always wanted to spot a glimpse of him.