The Legend of Sleeping Hollow

The Legend of the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow

The author of this story is Washington Irving. The Legend of Sleeping Hollow presents a gloomy picture Greensburg, also known as Tarry Town. Nevertheless, owing to the famous horror stories of a headless horse rider and myths of unexplained sounds about the area, the place was famous by the name of Sleeping Hollow. Sleeping Hollow was a Dutch settlement. Its settlers are mostly farmers and are staunch believers of supernatural phenomena and superstitious ideologies.

The Day-to-Day Account of Ichabod Crane

The story revolves around the day-to-day account of Ichabod Crane who has come from Connecticut to teach the locals children of Sleeping Hollow. Ichabod is a not an ideal figure if one perceives his outlook. As per the author’s words, “to see him striding along the profile of a hill on a windy day, with his clothes bagging and fluttering about him, one might have mistaken him for the genius of famine descending upon the earth, or some scarecrow eloped from a corn-field.” The story is of the time when teachers used to be cruel towards their students; however, Ichabod was not one of them. He was strict to his disciples without being cruel. Being a teacher in a rural area, he would lodge with the parents of one of his students and would leave to stay with the other after some time. He was often seen helping the farmers with light work and taking care of the children. Ichabod also gave lessons for psalmody to the youngsters of Sleeping Hollow. It was there that he fell for a young girl called Katrina Van Tassel.

The Rivalry Between Ichabod Crane and Brom Van Brunt

Katrina was one of the students in Ichabod’s singing class and the only child of a wealthy Dutch farmer Baltus Van Tassel. She was “withal a little of a coquette, as might be perceived even in her dress, which was a mixture of ancient and modern fashions, as most suited to set off her charms.” Similar to the stories of many beautiful women, Katrina too was pursued by many and had a savior by the name of Brom Van Brunt. Brom was nicknamed as Brom Bones. Brom Van Brunt was famous for his heroic position in the village. He was an excellent rider and a pranker. He was also not an easy person to defeat in a fight. His fighting skills gave him the advantage of removing the barriers in his pursuit of marrying Katrina. He was able to turn away all of Katrina’s suitors except for Ichabod, who was rather a competitor than a mere admirer for Brom. Being a teacher, Ichabod Crane was considered a good man for marriage. Knowing that Ichabod might win Katrina’s heart, Brom used one of his skills of playing pranks to get rid of Ichabod. He filled the schoolhouse with smoke and trained a dog that would follow the teacher everywhere and howl all the time.

Ichabod’s Love for Katrina

Ichabod’s idea of being in love with Katrina becomes a reality when he visits her house. He thinks of starting a family with Katrina and become the owner of her large estate. Being the only child, she would inherit all the properties of her father. Given the fact that Ichabod does not make a lot of money, the idea of marrying a beautiful woman and inheriting a large fortune is not only tempting but also a lucky one. As the author quotes, “from the moment Ichabod laid his eyes upon these regions of delight, the peace of his mind was at an end, and his only study was how to gain the affections of the peerless daughter of Van Tassel.”

The Fateful Night in Sleepy Hollow

On receiving the message of a party in Katrina’s house, Ichabod had prepared himself to look his best. “The gallant Ichabod now spent at least an extra half hour at his toilet, brushing and furbishing up his best, and indeed only suit of rusty black, and arranging his locks by a bit of broken looking-glass, that hung up in the school-house.” He took the horse from the farmer Hans Van Ripper and rode for the party. The party at Van Tassels’ was more than just an invitation to eat or chitchat. The scene was full of music, dances, eateries, and much more. Here and there, people would see Ichabod being in his best form by dancing and playing around with Katrina. Brom was also in the party with his beastly horse that only he could control. As the night stated growing dark, there came a time when people entertained themselves with the stories of supernatural beings that live side-by-side with them in Sleepy Hollow. Ichabod told his stories of Connecticut as well. When the party ended, the guests started making their way back home. Nonetheless, the teacher stayed behind as “according to the custom of country lovers, to have a tête-à -tête with the heiress, fully convinced that he was now on the high road to success.” Little did the people of Sleepy Hollow knew that it would be the last time they would see him.

The Legend of the Headless Horseman

Among the many horror stories famous in Sleepy Hollow, the story of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow was the most common. Many villagers were of the view that they have seen him riding by the church in search of his head. In addition, it was believed that the rider’s head was taken away by a cannonball while his body was buried in the church’s graveyard. The rider would search for his head after dark and would be in a hurry while doing so because he was to return to the church before daybreak.

The Disappearance of Ichabod Crane

Sadly, Ichabod could not go any further in his quest of marrying Katrina because he “Profess not to know how women’s hearts are wooed and won.” He left Katrina’s house hurriedly and with a heavy heart in the night. The teacher took a lonely turn and made his way towards the house of his the then patron Hans Van Ripper. In his pensive mood, Ichabod reached the famous Major André’s tree that has believed to see many crises, funerals, and unfortunate events in the past. Even though Ichabod was a believer in witchcraft, supernatural phenomenon, and superstitions, he was a fellow who would get easily scared. Ichabod would often take the path that was not lonely and would be conscious of the things around him. Given that he would feel lonely or scared, the teacher would sing psalm or whistle to himself so that no other sound would scare him.

The Terrifying Encounter with the Headless Horseman

It was near Major André’s tree that Ichabod, “began to whistle; he thought his whistle was answered - it was but a blast sweeping sharply through the dry branches.” The incident shook the scared teacher and hurried towards his path. In the darkness of the night, Ichabod observed that someone he was not alone. He was now afraid and was recalling all the horror stories he had heard that evening. Many doubts came across his mind, but he persisted himself and his horse to escape the scene. On one instance, Ichabod thought that the ghost of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow is following him. He made a run for the bridge near the church where the ghost would disappear but it did not. Instead, the rider threw his head, which was hanging near the saddle of his horse, towards poor Ichabod.

The Mysterious Disappearance

When the teacher disappeared the next morning, a search party was conducted, but there was nothing of him except for his hat near a smashed pumpkin. All the villagers strongly believed that the ghost of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow has taken away the poor teacher. Brom soon married Katrina once his rival was no longer a threat to be dealt with. Some think that Brom had played a prank but “the old country wives, however, who are the best judges of these matters, maintain to this day that Ichabod was spirited away by supernatural means; and it is a favorite story often told about the neighborhood round the winter evening fire.” Many years later, a foreigner came to the village and brought the news of Ichabod Crane being alive. He also informed that the poor Ichabod continued teaching in some far-flung area and is now serving as a justice.

Works Cited

Irving, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Other Stories. 1st ed., C. S. Van Winkle, 1819, pp. 248-271.