The Dullahan (Irish: Dubhlachan; dúlachán, ) is a type of

legendary creature A legendary creature is a type of extraordinary or supernatural being that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), and may be featured in historical accounts before modernity, but has not been scientifically shown to exist. In t ...

Irish folklore Irish folklore () refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance and mythology of Ireland. It is the study and appreciation of how people lived. The folklore of Ireland includes banshees, fairies, leprechauns and other mythological creatures, ...

. He is depicted as a headless rider on a

black horse Black is a hair coat color of horses in which the entire hair coat is black. It is not uncommon to mistake dark chestnuts or bays for black. Black horses have dark brown eyes, black skin, and wholly black hair coats without any areas of per ...

, or as a coachman, who carries his own head. As it is not widely described in native sources, and no references to it appears on the

Irish Folklore Commission The Irish Folklore Commission () was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland. History Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Delargy) founded ''An Cumann le Béaloideas Éir ...

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website
there is doubt as to whether the Dullahan was originally a part of the Irish oral tradition.

Etymology

Dullahan or Dulachan ( uḃlaċan referring to "

hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, appearing in English folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his '' A Midsummer Nigh ...

" (generic term; cf. Dullahan described as "unseelie (wicked) fairy"), literally "signifies dark, sullen person", according to the

lexicographer Lexicography is the study of lexicons and the art of compiling dictionaries. It is divided into two separate academic disciplines: * Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionary, dictionaries. * The ...

Edward O'Reilly. Dulachan and Durrachan are alternative words for this "hobgoblin", and these forms suggest etymological descent from "anger" or "malicious" or "fierce". The original Irish term contains the stem ''dubh,'' meaning "black" in Irish. Dullahan was later glossed as "dark, angry, sullen, fierce or malicious being", encompassing both etymologies, though

Thomas Crofton Croker Thomas Crofton Croker (15 January 1798 – 8 August 1854) was an Irish antiquary, best known for his ''Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland'' (1825–1828), and who also showed considerable interest in Irish song and music ...

considered the alternative etymology more dubious than the ''dubh'' "black" ("dark") etymology. The Dullahan is also called Colainn Gan Cheann, meaning "without a head" in Irish. "Headless Coach" () or the " Soundless Coach" (literally "deaf coach", ;

Hiberno-English Hiberno-English or Irish English (IrE), also formerly sometimes called Anglo-Irish, is the set of dialects of English native to the island of Ireland. In both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, English is the first language in e ...

: ''Coshta Bower'', corrupted to "coach-a-bower") is the name given to the vehicle driven by the Dullahan.

Folk Beliefs

Description

He is depicted as a

headless horseman The Headless Horseman is an archetype of mythical figure that has appeared in folklore around Europe since the Middle Ages. The figures are traditionally depicted as riders on horseback who are missing their heads. These myths have since inspired ...

, typically on a black horse, who may carry his own head in his hand or under his arm. The severed head has a revolting appearance, as in Croker's tale "The Headless Horseman":

..such a head no mortal ever saw before. It looked like a large cream cheese hung round with black puddings: no speck of colour enlivened the ashy paleness of the depressed features; the skin lay stretched over the unearthly surface almost like the parchment head of a drum. Two fiery eyes of prodigious circumference, with a strange and irregular motion, flashed like meteors.

According to the modern storyteller Tony Locke of County Mayo, the Dullahan's mouth, full of razor-sharp teeth, forms a grin reaching the sides of the head, its "massive" eyes "constantly dart about like flies", and the flesh has acquired the "smell, colour and consistency of mouldy cheese". There are also legends and tales mentioning the "Headless Coach" (also called "Coach-a-bower"; ), with the Dullahan as its presumed driver. ''Cóiste Bodhar'' was referred to as "Soundless Coach" by Robert Lynd, who gave an account of a "silent shadow" of a coach passing by, provided by an avowed witness from

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

. However,

William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...

explained that "the 'deaf coach' was so called because of its rumbling sound". According to one witness, only the silent shadow of the horse-drawn

hearse A hearse () is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin to a funeral, wake, or graveside service. They range from deliberately ...

, i.e., the "Soundless Coach" was seen passing by. In Croker's poem "The Death Coach", the carriage

axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotation, rotating wheel and axle, wheel or gear. On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around the axle. In ...

is made of a human spine and the wheel-spokes are constructed from thigh bones. A later writer prosifying this description supplied additional details, so that the "two hollow skulls" used as lanterns on the carriage are set with candles, and the

hammercloth A hammercloth is a large decorative piece of heavy weatherproof fabric, often fringed and richly adorned with embroidery, gemstones, and cloth of gold, placed over and around the seat of the coachman of a carriage A carriage is a two- or f ...

made of pall material "mildew'd by damps" is embellished as being chewed away by worms.

Behavior

A Dullahan appears as a mounted horseman or a coachman driving a

horse-drawn carriage A carriage is a two- or four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle for passengers. In Europe they were a common mode of transport for the wealthy during the Roman Empire, and then again from around 1600 until they were replaced by the motor car around 1 ...

out of graveyards. The rumour of a Dullahan's appearance often develops near a graveyard or a charnel vault where a wicked aristocrat is reputed to be buried. He arrives, driving the

death coach The death coach is part of the folklore of Northwestern Europe. It is particularly strong in Ireland where it is known as the (), also meaning "silent coach", but can also be found in stories from British and American culture. It is usually depict ...

, at the doorstep of a person whose death is approaching. According to Croker, the appearance of the "Headless Coach" foreshadows imminent death or misfortune. In "Hanlon's Mill", Michael (Mick) Noonan is returning from his trip to a shoemaker at Ballyduff, Co. Cork, and during his journey, he sees a black coach drawn by six headless black horses, driven by a headless coachman clad in black. The next morning, Mick receives news from the huntsman that Master Wrixon of Ballygibblin had a fit and died. Croker reports that in one legend, a Headless Coach would run back and forth from Castle Hyde to a glen/valley beyond the village of Ballyhooly, in

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

. Nearby in the town of

Doneraile Doneraile (), historically Dunnerail, is a town in County Cork, Ireland. It is on the R581 regional road east of the N20 road, which runs from Limerick to Cork. It is about north of Mallow town. It is on the River Awbeg, a branch of th ...

, it was said that the coach would visit the houses in succession, and whichever occupant dared to open the door would be splashed with a basin of blood by the coachman. There are rumours that golden objects can force the Dullahan to disappear.

Sight

A modern commentator stated that the Dullahan has the ability to see with the severed head and can "use it to scan the countryside for mortals about to die". In contrast, the headless coach in the tale "The Harvest Dinner" is described as a "blind (thief)", and Croker assumed he lacks sight.

Whip

The Dullahan allegedly uses a human

spine Spine or spinal may refer to: Science Biology * Spinal column, also known as the backbone * Dendritic spine, a small membranous protrusion from a neuron's dendrite * Thorns, spines, and prickles, needle-like structures in plants * Spine (zoology), ...

as a whip according to a number of 21st century commentators. The headless coachman merely bears a "long whip" in Croker's tale "The Harvest Dinner", with which he lashes the horses so furiously, he almost strikes a witness blind in an eye (the would-be-victim regarded it as deliberate assault). Croker deduced that the headless creature, as a way of habit, attempts to destroy his witness's eye or eyes with his whip, reasoning that the coachman's wrath turns to the onlooker because he lacks the ability to look due to his headlessness.

Folk Tales

Croker's ''Fairy Legends and Traditions of the South of Ireland'' (1828) contained a section on "The Dullahan" devoted to the lore of headless beings., Section "The Dullahan". Chapters "The Good Woman"; "Hanlon's Mill"; "The Harvest Dinner"; "The Death Coach"; "The Headless Horsemann" II: 85–152 The tale "The Good Woman" recounts a peasant's encounter with a cloaked female who turns out to be a Dullahan. A peasant named Larry Dodd, a resident of "

White Knight A white knight is a mythological figure and literary stock character. They are portrayed alongside a black knight as diametric opposites. A white knight usually represents a heroic warrior fighting against evil, with the role in medieval literatu ...

's Country" at the foot the Galtee Mountains (

Galtymore Galtymore or Galteemore () is a mountain in the province of Munster, Ireland. At , it is one of Ireland's highest mountains, being the 12th-highest on the Arderin list, and 14th-highest on the Vandeleur-Lynam list. Galtymore has the 4th-highe ...

), travels to

Cashel Cashel (an Anglicised form of the Irish language word ''Caiseal'', meaning "stone fort") may refer to: Places in Ireland *Cashel, County Tipperary **The Rock of Cashel, an ancient, hilltop fortress complex for which Cashel is named ** Archbishop ...

where he buys a nag, intending to sell it at Kildorrery fair that June evening. He offers a ride to a cloaked female, and when he grabs her to exact a kiss as payment for the ride, he discovers her to be a Dullahan. After losing consciousness, in the church ruins he finds a wheel of torture set with severed heads (skulls) and headless Dullahans, both men and women and nobles and commoners of various occupations. Larry is offered a drink, and when he is about to compliment it, his head is severed mid-sentence. His head reverts when he regains his senses. He loses his horse to the Dullahans.

Explanatory notes

References

Citations

General and cited references

* ** *

External links

*
The Dullahan Legend
at Scary For Kids.
Dullahan Website
* {{Fairies Fairies Irish folklore Irish legendary creatures Irish demons Irish ghosts Tuatha Dé Danann Headless Horseman Mythical headless creatures