The legends of Sleepy Hollow belong to an incredible multitude of tales of the Headless Horseman, who is doomed to wander until he finds his severed head. One such story was once recorded by W. Irving. It is to this work that this article will be devoted.
About the book
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is the story of the famous American romantic writer Washington Irving. The work was written during the life of the author in the small English town of Birmingham. And first published in 1820.
The plot was based on a German fairy tale, which became popular among the Dutch after the events of the revolutionary war in New York. Initially, the author of the literary version of the legend was the German writer Karl Museus, who collected folk material among his people.
Washington Irving presents the story of a headless horseman on behalf of a certain Dietrich Nikkerbokker, at the time of publication of the already deceased. It is in his papers that they find a description of this strange story, about which there were many rumors in the days of his youth. Dietrich himself is convinced that all the legends about the mysterious horsemen do not lie.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Summary
The story begins to unfold around 1790 in a small Dutch settlement of Tarritown, located on the banks of the Hudson River. Not far from the village there is a quiet and serene hollow, which was nicknamed Sleepy because of the phlegmatic and lazy disposition of its inhabitants.
It was as if a spell had been cast on this place, which clouds the consciousness of the local inhabitants, preventing them from leaving the world of dreams, in which they are both in a dream and in reality. But the minds of the inhabitants of the hollow are filled with inexhaustible tales of the wicked and cursed places, tales of ghosts and ancient superstitions. But the main character, without which almost no story is complete, is the Headless Horseman.
Horseman History
The protagonist of the legend of Sleepy Hollow is the Headless Horseman. According to rumors, it is the shadow of a Hessian cavalryman who was torn off his head with a cannonball during a battle. His body was buried in a church cemetery, and the spirit cannot find peace until he finds and returns his head.
Ikabot Crane
In the same valley a few years ago, according to Dietrich Nikkerbocker, Ikabot Crane, a poor rural teacher, lived. This was a clumsy and lanky guy who was very conscientious about his teaching profession. The young man was convinced that the rods only spoil the child, and in all the provinces the children should repent themselves, without any promptings from adults. It is this person who will be faced with the most terrible character of the legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Ikabot combined such partially opposite qualities as simplicity and craftiness. The young man loved to show off his education, especially in the company of pretty girls, but at the same time he was very pious and was part of the church choir. Despite his thinness, Crane was very fond of good food and never denied himself this pleasure. And his favorite book was The History of Witchcraft in New England by feather Cotton Mather. He reread it so often that in the end he could quote it from anywhere.
Love
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” is a story in which there is also a love line that is associated with Ikabod Crane. So, the young man had a subject of sigh - Katrina von Tassel, the beauty and only daughter of a wealthy farmer. The favors of this girl sought all the local boys. The main rival of Ikaboda was a strong and courageous country boy Brom Bonet, distinguished by a mischievous nature.
Holiday
Once Ikaboda was invited to a holiday in the house of van Tasselov. Wanting to look worthy, the young man cleaned out his old black suit, combed his hair carefully, looking into a piece of an old broken mirror, and begged the owner of the house where he was renting a room for a decrepit, incredibly stubborn horse.
Brom Bon was also invited to the feast. This joker and mischief, who arrived on a black horse like a master, quickly became the soul of the company. Crane himself paid more attention to all kinds of treats. Trying different dishes, he dreamily thought about how one fine day he would take Katrina as his wife and get her father's farm in his full possession.
Washington Irving very carefully and naturally describes the life of a provincial village and its inhabitants. Communication, behavior, customs - nothing escaped the attention of the writer. After the treats, dances begin. However, Ikabod does not participate in the general fun, keeping aloof.
After dancing, all guests come together and begin to tell terrible stories about ghosts and otherworldly forces. Brom did not stand aside. A young rake begins the story of how he once met at night with the Headless Horseman. Brom was not at all afraid of a ghost, but suggested "to measure in the leap." If the Horseman wins, the young man promised to present him a cup with a punch. Bon almost defeated the Hessian, but on the church bridge he rushed forward and suddenly, scattering with fiery flashes, disappeared.
When the holiday ended, Ikabod deliberately lingered, looking for a meeting with Katrina. However, their conversation was brief, and the young man did not have time to confess. The young man had to retire not saltyly slandered.
Rider
Continues his story about the headless Horseman Irving. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is approaching its climax. Ikabod in despair goes home, but then he notices a huge rider on a black powerful horse. The young man in fear guides his old horse forward, trying to break away from the terrible companion. But the unknown rider is not far behind.
For a moment, the moon illuminated a black silhouette against the night sky. Then Crane saw that the head of his pursuer was not on his shoulders, but was confined to the bow of the saddle.
Despite his old age, Crane’s horse raced at full speed. However, in the middle of the ravine, the girth weakened, and the saddle slipped from the animal. Ikabod briefly thought about how angry the owner when he learns about the loss of his property. But this thought lingered briefly in the head of the young man. He recalled the story of Brom, in which he described how the rider was dispelled. Therefore, the young man raced to the church bridge.
Suddenly, the rider rose on the stirrups, grabbed his head and threw it at Ikaboda. The shell landed exactly in the skull of a young man, and he fell off his horse, losing consciousness.
Denouement
The story "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is drawing to a close. The book of an outstanding American writer again returns us to its main character - Ikabod Crane.
In the morning, the old horse, borrowed by the youth, returned to the master's house without a saddle and a rider. The search immediately began, during which the townspeople first discovered a broken saddle, and already behind the church bridge - Ikaboda's hat and a smashed pumpkin to smithereens. Local residents consulted and came to a disappointing conclusion - Crane was taken away with him by the Headless Horseman.
Several years passed after this event, and one of the locals went on business to New York. Returning, he said that he had seen their former teacher, that he was alive and well. Ikabod became a politician and deputy, wrote notes in newspapers, and at the end of his days became a justice of the peace.
What sways Brom Brons, this mischievous young man married Katrina. And when they began to tell a story with him about the disappearance of Ikabod Crane, he smiled slyly, and when the story came to a pumpkin, he began to laugh.
Such is the end of the legend of Sleepy Hollow, which Irving set forth.