The image of the Headless Horseman most familiar to us is that of the ghostly Hessian soldier, clad in his uniform, with a black cloak, carrying his own head on his saddle. Monumental in size, the Hessian rides so swiftly that he's compared to the wind.
While uniquely terrifying in its own right, Irving's equestrian looks downright kid-friendly compared to Irish folklore's Dullahan. According to Dullahan.com, the Dullahan holds his own head high up, which bears a hideous grin, small black eyes, and the smell of molding flesh. This Irish demonic fairy rides on a great black horse — which itself is sometimes headless — or in a black carriage drawn by six horses. This ferocious creature also carries a whip made out of a human spine and a bucket of blood in some versions of the folklore, as if he weren't already frightening enough.
The headless horseman of Germany is often clad in gray and in hunting gear. In Scandinavian folklore, the ghost rider sits upon a white horse, with his head under his left arm, and is joined by black dogs with fiery breath. Celtic horsemen, meanwhile, are usually in all black and ride horses that are equally cranially challenged. While the variations of the Headless Horseman might have different getups, sidekicks, and forms of tormenting their locals, they all share one thing in common: The Headless Horseman wants his head back.
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