For today’s Vampire Wednesday were looking at yet another Irish Vampire. I never knew there were so many. I’m beyond excited!
Dullahan
The Dullahan is pronounced DAH-hool. He has a lot of variations to his name including Dullaghan, Far Dorocha, Gan Ceann, Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman is well known from Washington Irving’s American retelling of the German folklore short story “The Ledend of Sleepy Hollow.”
After the potato famine started in 1845 people started saying the Banshee was accompanied by a headless man riding on a horse. They were seen particularly at midnight on Feast Days.
The Head was which was the color and texture of molded cheese, smiled from ear to ear. Sometimes the man would hold his head other times it was tied to the saddle. Some said that the horse was also headless.
There were also stories that the man drove a coach made of human thigh bones which was pulled by six black horse with skull heads, their eyes lit by candles in their sockets.
Really it doesn’t matter if he’s on horseback or if he’s driving a coach, he races down roads spreading disease, entire households suddenly fall ill.
Dullahan uses a bullwhip to lash out anyone’s eyes who happens to see him. He’s cursed with poor eyesight. Lucky victims get a bucket of blood tossed on them.
The Dullahan is incredibly greedy and will accept any momentary offering that’s thrown at him.
Photo Credit:
http://celticqueens.blogspot.com/2011/06/irish-dullahan.html
http://strangestate.blogspot.com/2011/09/more-irish-monsters.html
Mari Wells 
Is he kin to Carrie?
My research didn’t mention it. 😀
Was Carrie Irish?
I do think he has something going on with the Banshee though, I just can’t prove it, yet.
LOL I don’t know if she was Irish. She looks like she could be I suppose.
Maybe it was the guys ancestor, the ones who dumped the blood on her.
Yeah, that is probably more accurate.
😀 I knew he and that banshee had been busy…Those boys dumping blood on Carrie proves it!
Damn… so many vampires…
Going to take a long time to read them all…
I love my vampires. I have so many to still tell you all about. I post every Wednesday. It won’t take that long 😀
Thank you so much for coming by and commenting.
You’re quite welcome. I love vampire too. Well, the old ones more than the new ones, now that they’re all ‘soft’ and ’emotional’.
About 95% of the vampires here are the old ones. The other 5% are the vampires I’ve created. So you’ll like at least a large amount of my stuff. 😀
Noooo judging by your amazing amount of vampire knowledge I have no doubt that your vampires are good too. I like most modern vampires, just not the twilight ones. And so far I’m liking 100% of your stuff. This blog is like a vampire wikipedia.
Thank you for the amazing compliment!
He sounds like a lovely character, especially the thigh bones, and skulls and spreading disease around. It’s cool to learn about this stuff.
Isn’t he awesome! Thanks for coming by Amy.
Not very nice, is he! Getting doused in a bucket of blood is not a cool way to spend an evening! 😉 Brightest Blessings
[…] wish to remind you of those Irish who desire your blood. The Earl of Desmond Dullahan Carricaphouka Castle Abhartach Annis […]