# The Headless Horseman — The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. character guide

> The Headless Horseman in The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. by Washington Irving.

**Role:** supporting

**First appearance:** 0035-the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow

## Snapshot

The phantom rider of Sleepy Hollow, a Hessian trooper whose severed head rests in his saddle, haunting the lane where Ichabod Crane must pass.

## Who they are

The Headless Horseman is the legendary terror of Sleepy Hollow, a ghost said to ride nightly to the church bridge in search of his lost head. He is the ultimate test of Ichabod Crane's credulity and cowardice, the figure whose pursuit drives the schoolmaster from the hollow forever. Whether he is a real spectre or Brom Bones in disguise, Irving never says—and the ambiguity is the point.

## In the story

### [The Legend of Sleepy Hollow](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sketchbook_of_geoffrey_crayon_gent_se/chapters/the-legend-of-sleepy-hollow)

The legendary ghost of a Hessian trooper who haunts Sleepy Hollow, chasing Ichabod on his fateful night.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sketchbook_of_geoffrey_crayon_gent_se/characters/the_headless_horseman
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sketchbook_of_geoffrey_crayon_gent_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_sketchbook_of_geoffrey_crayon_gent_se/characters