Matching 50 mythical creatures with each of the 50 states

New York: Dullahan

There are plenty of legends and stories associated with the state of New York, and none are likely more iconic than that of the headless horseman. So it probably makes sense that when I was researching mythical creatures and came across the Dullahan, I knew it had to be the monster that represented New York.

So what is the Dullahan? The Dullahan is a “man” who rides a black horse and can be seen carrying his head under his arm. (Seems familiar right?) But that’s not the only thing that makes this particular creature stand out. There is also the fact that the Dullahan holds a whip in his other hand. But this is no ordinary whip. In fact, his whip is actually the bones of a human spine.

Much like the headless horseman, the Dullahan is all about gathering the souls of the living, and with his wide mouth that stretches across his face, when he appears it is not going to be a pleasant sighting. As far as ghosts go, this is not one to mess with and basically, you don’t want to come across him in the dark (or really at any time of the day or night). However, as long as he doesn’t speak your name, you should be safe.

Considering the popularity of the headless horseman and his story, it makes sense that there would be other decapitated horsemen wandering the earth. And as a ghost collecting souls, it kind of makes sense that New York would have a Dullahan riding around causing a bit of destruction. (Although, is it really destruction if he isn’t actually destroying something?)