The Legend of Dullahan

The story of the Duhallan is about a headless horseman who roams the lands of Ireland in search of victims whose lives he intends to take. It is one of the most famous tales in Irish mythology and the story has become very popular over time.

The headless horseman has become a key character used in the mythology of many other cultures, as well as in many modern horror stories. He is best known for his headless appearance and there are many stories about how he lost his head. One of them narrates that he was a soldier in his previous life and had his head taken from him in battle. ☠️

Young fanatic of death allegories, welcome to Rebel Skull ! We are passionate about the subject and the Dullahan’s distinctive look has of course caught our attention. Let’s see together in details what characterizes this character, what are his actions and what he looks like.

The Headless Horseman

The Dullahan is a headless rider, usually on a black horse, who carries his own head with his right hand or puts it on his horse’s back. He is usually a man, but there are some female versions. The mouth is usually adorned with a hideous, silly smile that grows on both sides almost to the ears. His little black eyes wander around like flies in his skull and can see through the countryside even on the darkest nights. 💫

The flesh of the head is said to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese. The Dullahan uses the spine of a human corpse as a whip, and his chariot is adorned with funerary objects. He has candles in his skull to light his way, the spokes of the wheels are made of thigh bone, and the covering of the wagon is created from dried or worm-chewed human skin. He wears a long black cloak that floats behind him as he travels the land.

Why doesn’t the Dullahan have a head ?

The ancient Celts said that the soul was in the head, and that if an enemy was worthy, his head was taken, to give prestige to the warrior who defeated him. They also said that if they tied the head to a post near their home, it would scream when the enemy approached. Celtic headhunters revered the image of the severed head as a continuing source of spiritual power. 🗡

Mythological Creature

Although no one knows for sure how the Dullahan was created, it is believed to be the incarnation of the Celtic fertility god Crom Dubh. He was worshipped by an ancient Irish king, Tighermas. Each year, Tighermas sacrificed humans to Crom Dubh, and the usual method of killing was decapitation.

The cult ended in the sixth century, when Christianity arrived in Ireland and the ancient sacrificial traditions lost their popularity. But Crom Dubh was not to be so easily forgotten, for it is said that he then took on a physical form: that of the Dullahan, riding his powerful horse and using a human spine as a whip. 🦴

In some parts of Ireland, he does not necessarily ride his horse but drives a black carriage pulled by six black horses. They move so fast that the friction of their hooves would set fire to the hedges along the road. 🔥 And, no matter how hard they are locked, all the doors open to let him through.

Duhallan’s Mission

Some stories suggest that he travels with a dark purpose: to take other souls with him to the afterlife. That he doesn’t want to “die alone”. No locked door stays shut as he approaches. The doors open before him and always let him in. When he passes through towns and villages after dark, people hide behind their curtains because if anyone looked him in the eye, he would be immediately blinded. 👀

He blinds people by gouging out their eyes with a whip made of a spine or by throwing a basin of blood into their eyes. He can only speak once during a journey, often simply naming the person whose life he wishes to take. Once the Dullahan speaks that name, that person’s soul is called to death and it is impossible to defy that call. 💀

It is said that he appears after sunset during certain festivals and feast days, that is, when people know to be wary of looking out after sunset.

The dullahan is endowed with supernatural sight. By holding his severed head in the air, he can see across the countryside for great distances, even in the darkest of nights. With this power, he can spy on a dying person’s home, no matter where it is. Those who watch him pass by their window get a bowl of blood thrown in their face, and a lash that blinds them in one eye. 🩸

Carriage and Black Horses (Cóiste Bodhar).

The Dullahan was not always found only on his horse. With great misfortune, he could be encountered in the carriage of death. In Irish folklore, he is known as Cóiste Bodhar, the silent carriage. Six black horses pull it. The horses and carriage travel so fast that the bushes on the sides of the road have been known to catch fire as they pass.

The coach was best known in Sligo, Tyrone and other parts of Ulster. And across the sea in Scotland, this craft was often seen on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, gathering the souls of the dead. In Ireland, in particular, the death coach is considered a symbol of the inevitability of death, as it is believed that once on Earth, it can never return empty. Thus, once an individual’s death has been decided by a higher power, there is nothing mortals can do to prevent it.

Irish mythology (Gan Ceann)

The legends of the headless horseman come from Ireland. The Duhallan is also known as Gan Ceann (headless), he took the souls of those who were ready to die. The ancient Irish believed that where the Dullahan stops galloping, a person must die. The Dullahan shouts the person’s name, taking the soul of its victim, and the person dies immediately. ☠️

In the sixth century, when Christianity arrived in Ireland, these sacrificial rituals were condemned and, as Christianity gained popularity, they ceased completely. It was then that the story of the Dullahan began to spread, as the Irish believed that Crom Dubh took on this physical form in order to continue to receive the sacrificial souls that he requested.

Even to the Irish and Celts, this is a creature of absolute darkness. Some people believe that the Dullahan is derived from the ancient Celtic god, Crom Dubh, the dark and bent man, a god who demanded human sacrifices. Ironically, he was also the god of fertility. He was worshipped in Ireland until the sixth century, when Christianity took a greater hold on the island and the practice was stopped.

The Dullahan in other Cultures

The myth of the Dullahan has evolved from the human form of Crom Dubh to many representations of the headless horseman in different cultures. The legend of Sleepy Hollow in America is based on this Irish legend, which tells the story of a soldier who lost his head during the American Revolution and got up during the Halloween holiday to look for it. It is also found in many German stories, such as the Grimm brothers’ tales.

Other German stories tell of a headless horseman who blows a horn to warn hunters not to ride, as death awaits them that day. In modern times, the Dullahan has been popularized as an evil character in many computer games and fantasy stories. Thus, the legend of the Dullahan, one of the most represented Irish legends, will live on for many years.

The Fear of Gold

The only thing that can frighten the headless rider is the precious metal, which when thrown to the ground in front of him can cause him and his horses to suddenly stop and turn to flee. ✨ During the period when the Dullahan story was most popular in Ireland, families were likely to possess gold. Thus, they were told to use their gold to scare him away if he came near their home.

This irrational fear is not really explained. We just know that it is the only defense we have against it. Even a tiny amount can be enough to scare him away. He immediately goes back into the depths of darkness when he sees the shiny metal. This mythological story tells this phenomenon perfectly:

“A man was walking home one evening. It was getting dark and suddenly he heard the sound of a horse’s hooves beating along the road behind him. Looking around, he saw the Dullahan on his evil horse, rushing toward him at excessive speed. Screaming loudly, he started to run, but the black rider followed him, catching up with him again and again. It is obvious that he would have taken him with him to the afterlife if the man had not dropped a gold-headed pin from the folds of his shirt on his way. As he stood up, he saw that the Duhallan had run away from his gold coin. So this would be the ultimate protection against this individual.”

Stand up to the Black Rider

We have just seen together what characterizes this individual as an allegory of death and how much this dark character is rooted in the Irish culture. You know that during a possible trip to Ireland during the Halloween season, to be safe at sunset, you should avoid looking out the window and keep some gold handy!

Now it’s time for you to arm yourself with the ultimate weapon against this mythical creature by donning your reaper t-shirt. The grim reaper is the only one who can protect you from death and owning your t-shirt is your secret weapon. Discover it by simply clicking on the image below.

You can also discover the legend of Azrael, a true god of death symbolizing the fear of the gods as much as Dullahan.