Dullahan. (Art by Toha Draws)
The Dullahan or Dulachán ("dark man") is a headless, demonic fairy, usually riding a black horse and carrying his head under his arm.
Description[]
The mouth is usually in a hideous grin that touches both sides of the head. Its eyes are constantly moving about and can see across the countryside even during the darkest nights. The flesh of the head is said to have the color and consistency of moldy cheese.
Overview[]
Usually, the Dullahan is male, but there are some female versions. It is said to be the embodiment of the Celtic deity Crom Dubh. The ancient Irish believed that where the Dullahan stops riding, a person is due to die. The Dullahan calls out the person's name, drawing away the soul of his victim, at which point the person immediately drops dead.
The Dullahan is believed to use the spine of a human corpse for a whip, and its wagon is adorned with funeral objects: it has candles in skulls to light the way, the spokes of the wheels are made from thigh bones, and the wagon's covering is made from a worm-chewed pall or dried human skin.