The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

The Headless Horseman Pursuing Ichabod Crane by John Quidor, 1858

"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by American writer Washington Irving. The legend was long known among the Dutch communities in the valley of the Hudson River before Irving put pen to paper. Irving may have based Ichabod and Katrina on real people of his acquaintance. The story was published in 1820 in a collection of Irving's literary pieces titled The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent..

Story

A lanky school teacher named Ichabod Crane arrives in the village of Tarry Town. He is very superstitious. He falls in love with pretty Katrina Van Tassel (and her father's large farm). Katrina has a suitor though. His name is Brom Bones. Brom is a rowdy and boisterous young man. He does not like Ichabod. He does not like Ichabod hovering about Katrina. One autumn night after a party at the Van Tassel's, Ichabod sets off for home alone. He thinks he sees the Headless Horseman, a dead soldier of the Revolution whose head was blown off by a cannon ball. His ghost haunts the countryside in search of his head. He pursues Ichabod. Ichabod is terrified and runs away. He is never seen again. Villagers find only a smashed jack o' lantern. When the story is told, Brom gives a knowing wink. It is implied that he frightened away his rival by posing as the Headless Horseman.

Other websites

• The Legend of Sleepy Hollow original text with human-read audio.
• "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" from The Harvard Classics (1917), hosted online at Bartleby.com.
• "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" at American Literature.
• "Sleepy Hollow", a non-fiction update on the story's locale, written by Washington Irving in 1839.
• Old Dutch Burying Ground of Sleepy Hollow, the churchyard where Ichabod Crane sought sanctuary.
• Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. Founded in 1849, it is adjacent to but separate from the Old Dutch Burying Ground.
• List of locations related to "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".
• "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" - Irving's Fictions of Revolution
• The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad at the Internet Movie Database.
• Sleepy Hollow at the Internet Movie Database (directed by Tim Burton).
• "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow in Concert" Annual festival featuring Irving's original narrative and orchestral score by Steven Smith
• "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" Brickfilm (Lego movie).
• The unabridged "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" (Episode Number 174) is read in its entirety in Mister Ron's Basement Podcast
• A Librivox Podcast version of "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" can be found here as well