The villagers gather together in pubs to speculate on the headless horseman. The fact that he only rides at night adds to the gothic element of the story. They feel the horseman haunts the village at night but
The Meaning of the Headless Horseman: The Legend of Sleepy Hollowis a classic American short story by Washington Irving, first published in 1820. The basic premise of the narrative is the scary encounter of teacher Ichabod Crane with the legendary headless horseman. ...
The classic short story is considered an example of early American folklore. But tales of headless horseman have been around since the Middle Ages.