Dullahan

A Dullahan (also known as Gan Ceann, which translated from Irish means "headless") is a mythical creature belonging to Irish mythology.

Mythology

The Dullahan is described as a headless horseman carrying his own severed head under one arm. Generally, a Dullahan is usually male, although there are also several female versions of it. The eyes of his head move in all directions and are able to see even on the darkest nights, while an imperishable smile never leaves his face. It is said that a Dullahan uses the spine of a human corpse as a whip, and his chariot is adorned with funerary objects. When the Dullahan stops riding, it means that in that place a person must die. The Dullahan then calls the name of the person, at which time the person in question immediately perishes.

There is no way to prevent the coming of a Dullahan, since all the locks and doors open when it approaches. They also do not like to be seen while performing their encomiendas, throwing, in retaliation, a vessel of blood to those who dare to do so, or even whip the eyes of the observers with their whip. It is known that they fear gold, and even a single gold pin can expel a Dullahan.

It is also said that the Dullahan is nothing more than the earthly incarnation of the ancient Celtic god Crom Dubh, whose cult required human sacrifices (who was venerated until the sixth century, when Catholicism began to appear in Scotland and Ireland), and that he has returned to the earthly world for the souls of the living.

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