Headless Horseman

Headless Horseman Origins:
The Headless Horseman is an interesting character, but there is very little information on him. Some of the information I will include is based on my analysis of headless horseman tales both past and modern day. The original Headless Horseman originates from the Dutch tale of Sleepy Hollow, which was eventually turned into a book by Washington Irving. He is the ghost of a Hessian soldier whose head was shot off by a cannon ball in the Revolutionary War. Hessians were German mercenaries hired during the war. Unlike most ghosts, he has a physical form and rides a great black horse, which also has a physical form. He may or may not be the origin of the ghost rider myths. Since the original tale, many adaptations have been made, and newer legends of the Headless Horseman have been created. In some latter adaptations he is an undead being controlled by a witch. In recent tales, the horseman had filed his teeth to points and was a very powerful and merciless soldier when he was alive. His enemies feared him because he was known to decapitate them.

Headless Horseman Stats:
The horse of the Headless Horseman is very fast, faster than most horses. The horseman himself seems to have some measure of superhuman strength. Although not as strong as a vampire or werewolf, he is strong enough to easily lift a 200 pound man with one arm. Most of the time he kills his victims by decapitation. His weapons are an ever glowing jack-o-lantern, a sword, and a single bladed ax. In some tales, the jack-o-lantern can breath fire and burn things that are close to it. The horseman can also throw the jack-o-lantern with incredible accuracy. The horseman exudes a powerful aura that causes animals to panic and drives terror into the hearts of humans. He is invulnerable to most weapons, including firearms. And, despite the lack of his head, he is a reasoning and somewhat intelligent being. He is more powerful on All Hallows Eve, also known as Halloween. As he was when he was alive, the headless horseman is very skilled at wielding ax and sword. He kills those that travel through his woods at night. Although he cannot find his head, he will not allow any others even the chance of accidentally stumbling upon it.


Transformation:
Conventionally, one cannot become the Headless Horseman, nor can the Headless Horseman make other headless horsemen. It may be possible that more headless horsemen could be created if they lost their head in battle and had a strong enough will to return, but this remains doubtful and unlikely. However, it is never mentioned how the Hessian soldier returned or continues to move without a head. It may be that his desire to be whole, extreme evil, or the amount of men he decapitated in battle keeps him from resting. In the case of some newer myths, it is a witch that has disturbed his rest and called him back.

Alignment:
Evil. He can coexist with other evil goblins and forest beings and will not go out of his way to kill them. Should another evil being cross his path he will most likely kill it regardless of its alignment. He will kill any humans he can. As a side note, he does not bother horses.

Weaknesses and Slaying:
The Headless Horseman must be back at his resting place, a church graveyard in Sleepy Hollow, by dawn. Unlike most creatures, he cannot be killed by beheading obviously. He is neither zombie nor ghost. Such things as holy water, crucifixes, and bibles would keep him away, but not kill him. He would also avoid bright areas and fire. Ichabod believed that the horseman could not cross the church bridge and that he would disappear in a cloud of fire and brimstone when he had given up the chase. Since the horseman is already dead, slaying him would be difficult. In more recent tales he could be stopped by killing the witch controlling him. If he should ever regain his head or have the opportunity, he will kill anyone who is or was controlling him and drag them to Hell before return to his rest. He is riding out at night in search of his lost head, which presumably remains intact somewhere in Sleepy Hollow. If his head is returned, he will rest. Presumably, if he is damaged enough he will have to return to his resting place and heal. Cannon, holy heavy weapons such as swords and broad axes would be the only things strong enough to damage him. Like most mythical creatures, he was created in a time period long ago and will probably not be affected by weapons from our time period. Do not bother looking for his body during the day because it will probably not be there. As suggested by the fire and brimstone disappearance, the headless horseman most likely rests in another realm, hell, or some untouchable part of Sleepy Hollow. So far, short of intervention from God or angels, the Headless Horseman cannot be killed, only returned to rest. However, unlike werewolves or vampires, he is limited in the amount of area he can cover. He must return to his grave by daybreak and his resting place cannot be changed. Also, although he is evil, he is looking for his head and knows it is in the area.