Check out a newer (2020) updated version of this post on my new blog: The Ultimate Guide To Sleepy Hollow, New York
Did you know that there may be some truth behind The Legend of Sleepy Hollow?
Most of us have heard The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in one form or another. Maybe you’ve read the book by Washington Irving or perhaps you were introduced as a kid through Disney’s adaptation (raising my hand here). Have you seen the 1999 film adaptation starring Johnny Depp and Christian Ricci (one of my favorites) or even the more recent TV series? I’ve loved this story since I was a kid and I’ve seen, read, and heard them all but as is the case with most legends, I’ve always wondered if there was some truth behind the legend? If you are interested
Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is set in 1790 and follo\ws Ichabod Crane who is described as “a scarecrow who had escaped his post, with a pointy snipe nose.” (Kruk) Ichabod was a schoolteacher and choirmaster who accepts the position in a small town in the Hudson Valley. There is a small love triangle between Ichabod and one of the richest girls in town Katrina Van Tassel. Now although Ichabod seems harmless he has less than honorable intentions when it comes to Katrina. He wants to marry her for her money. His rival is
It’s a small town so eventually, Ichabod hears rumors around town of the legend of the Headless Horseman. As the legend goes…
“The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the revolutionary war; and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind.” (Irving 5)
Ichabod Crane is the superstitious type and believes these rumors (legend) and becomes super paranoid and terrified that he will be the horseman’s next victim.
Basically, at a town party, Ichabod dances with Katrina but he begins to suspect that she is only using him to make Bones jealous. Serves him right! I’m pretty sure there is a song right about now in the Disney version. While walking home from the party Ichabod is chased by the Headless Horseman and is never heard from or seen again.
This is completely from recollection and I may be a little off on some of the minor details but that is the gist of the story. For whatever reason, I have always loved this legend but is there any truth behind it?
The story of Sleepy Hollow takes place in what was Tarrytown, New York. However, in 1996 or 1997 (I’ve read both) after the closure of a General Motors plant, North Tarrytown officially became Sleepy Hollow in honor of Washington Irving’s story. It is legit a place that you can visit and/or find on a map!
It seems that Irving used real life events as inspiration for his legendary tale. For instance, there was a large Dutch population in Tarrytown. During the Revolutionary War, the Hudson River Valley was known for the abundance of Hessian Jagers who were essentially German mercenaries who were on the payroll of the British Empire during the war. (Ahem, the Headless Horseman was a Hessian soldier).
For whatever reason, the Headless Horseman seems to have a general appeal. These spectral horsemen show up in myths and legends throughout history, for example, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from Arthurian legend. The Green Knight rides off with head in hand after Gawain decapitates him. However, Washington Irving’s Hessian seems to be the most frightful and infamous of them all.
According to Tech Times, it seems that the Headless Horseman may have been inspired by the Dutch legend of the “The Wild Huntsman” a spectral rider who frightened evening travelers with his pack of hounds in Medieval Germany. It goes a little something like…
“Be chased or ever through the wood;
For ever roam the affrighted wild;
And let thy fate instruct the proud,
God’s meanest creature in his child”
Kruk
The Hudson Valley saw a lot of action during the Revolutionary War and there were several stories of Hessian soldiers losing their heads in battle (literally). Several revolve around the Battle of White Plains when it was said that soldiers discovered Hessian remains decaying with the head separated from bodies. There is even a story of a Hessian soldier losing his head on Halloween during the battle of White Plains. Either way, it seems history did inspire Washington Irving quite a bit!
If you want to read more about what to do with one day in Sleepy Hollow click here.
Resources
Irving, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. UMass Marketing Ltd, 2013. Kindle.
Keating, Lauren. “The Real History of Sleepy Hollow: How Much ‘The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow’ Ties Into The Series.” 1 Oct 2015. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/89829/20151001/real-history-sleepy-hollow-much-legend-ties-series.htm
Kruk, Jonathan. Legends and Lore of Sleepy Hollow and the Hudson Valley. The History Press, 2011. Kindle.
Have you been to Sleepy Hollow? Do you believe that the legend was inspired by true events?
