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Deimos-Remus β€” D is for Dullahan

#alphabet #fairy #horse #human #irish #myth #spinal #deimosremus #dullahan #headlesshorseman #horserider #horseriding #ireland #mythicalcreature #mythological #mythologicalcreature #mythology #rider #skeleton #spinalcord #horseequine
Published: 2015-04-01 02:21:42 +0000 UTC; Views: 48386; Favourites: 882; Downloads: 0
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Description Name: Dullahan, 'Gan Ceann' (without a head)
Area of Origin: Ireland

The Dullahan is a headless rider, and being the most famous of its kind, was likely the inspiration for Washington Irving's Headless Horseman character. The rider was usually on a dark horse, carrying his or her own head. The decapitated head was said to have constant hideous grin, and its skin was the consistency and color of moldy cheese. The rider's weapon is a whip fashioned from a human spinal cord. In some variations, the horse was pulling a cart made out of bodyparts, like the spokes of the wheels being made from bones, or its cover being made from dried human skin. When the Dullahan stops riding, that is where a person is doomed to die, after which the rider calls them by name and takes their life. There is seemingly no way to stop a Dullahan, as all locks and gates open to them upon approach, though strangely enough, they are afraid of gold, and can be temporarily driven away by the mere sight of it. They also apparently do not like being watched, often throwing buckets of blood on those who dare to do so.Β 
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Comments: 57

Inkylee [2023-03-14 06:27:56 +0000 UTC]

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snafu8252 [2021-09-08 11:11:38 +0000 UTC]

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Nuclearzeon2 [2020-10-28 22:37:29 +0000 UTC]

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PicketFurret [2019-06-19 03:21:41 +0000 UTC]

Dullahan 1: ...and so I ripped out his spine and beat him to death with it!

Dullahan 2: Wait a second.. how do you beat someone to death with their own spine? that doesn't seem physically possible

Dullahan 1: yeah, that's what he kept saying

Earlier Victim: AAH! THIS DOESN'T SEEM PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE!

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Warlordseb In reply to PicketFurret [2020-07-01 21:40:33 +0000 UTC]

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feliiks [2019-04-14 19:36:55 +0000 UTC]

Some people also say he used to be a god worshipped by the Irish people, but after they have been converted to christianity, he became a evil spirit

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SpecimeninaJar [2018-03-20 12:30:33 +0000 UTC]

This is a pretty accurate portrayal of the Dullahan from what I know. You've done your research well on this creature and others in your Mythological Alphabet Project, well done. Β 

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Deimos-Remus In reply to SpecimeninaJar [2018-03-23 03:50:25 +0000 UTC]

Thanks a ton, I appreciate it!Β 

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NicksterDagames [2017-12-21 21:27:04 +0000 UTC]

Put your BACK into it!

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lost-to-my-mind [2017-05-05 01:13:23 +0000 UTC]

Nice!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to lost-to-my-mind [2017-06-08 02:06:31 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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thinkingstone [2017-03-16 20:58:59 +0000 UTC]

I'd never heard of a dullahan before yesterday. Β Was watching an anime of all things that had one in it. Β He wasn't nearly as frightening as yours though. Β 

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Deimos-Remus In reply to thinkingstone [2017-03-20 20:24:10 +0000 UTC]

Definitely among my favorite mythical creatures! It seems to be a pretty popular choice to put into anime shows for some odd reason.Β 

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thinkingstone In reply to Deimos-Remus [2017-03-25 04:43:20 +0000 UTC]

I don't watch a lot of anime so it was new to me. Β Learn something new every day though, right?

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Deimos-Remus In reply to thinkingstone [2017-03-25 22:41:31 +0000 UTC]

Ha, same!

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metalsonic612 [2017-02-16 21:31:47 +0000 UTC]

they are also believed to be a type of fairy

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Deimos-Remus In reply to metalsonic612 [2017-02-20 05:56:03 +0000 UTC]

Yup!

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Xamnitt [2016-12-11 10:48:35 +0000 UTC]

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lost-to-my-mind In reply to Xamnitt [2017-05-05 01:12:56 +0000 UTC]

Exactly what I was thinking

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Wolf-of-War [2016-07-04 18:12:28 +0000 UTC]

so...a golden sword?

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CharlestheComicArtis In reply to Wolf-of-War [2020-04-15 23:17:12 +0000 UTC]

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Wolf-of-War In reply to CharlestheComicArtis [2020-04-17 20:45:52 +0000 UTC]

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CharlestheComicArtis In reply to Wolf-of-War [2020-04-18 03:50:05 +0000 UTC]

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Swift-Nimblefoot [2015-08-01 08:58:32 +0000 UTC]

So that bone-whip is from mythology too? I only saw that used in Pathfinder so far. Dullahans must be big fans of Mortal Kombat's Scorpion.

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Deimos-Remus In reply to Swift-Nimblefoot [2015-08-02 19:58:23 +0000 UTC]

Yup!

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theblock [2015-06-22 01:06:22 +0000 UTC]

Did having a spinal chord as a whip come form the original Irish folklore you sourced You'd think the makers of Castlevania would have POUNCED on that upon looking it up more, then just settling on that headless skeleton in the Library with the rapier in SOTN Great stuff as usual.

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Deimos-Remus In reply to theblock [2015-06-24 03:06:46 +0000 UTC]

Yep!Β 

Yeah, some friends had said the same thing, haha. I think there might've been something akin to a Dullahan in one of them, but can't remember.Β 

Thanks!

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theterriblezodin [2015-04-20 19:06:58 +0000 UTC]

Fascinating!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to theterriblezodin [2015-04-21 12:29:53 +0000 UTC]

Definitely!

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OperaGhost21 [2015-04-17 20:52:13 +0000 UTC]

Spinal cord whip? That is the most badass, metal thing ever. Β 

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Deimos-Remus In reply to OperaGhost21 [2015-04-18 20:17:04 +0000 UTC]

Definitely.

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demonrei9991 [2015-04-11 01:18:08 +0000 UTC]

i love YOU! you got the dullahan right! i'm so tired of seeing all these desu dullahan's when in truth, they are extremely undesu or kawaii or any word like that

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Deimos-Remus In reply to demonrei9991 [2015-04-12 00:53:26 +0000 UTC]

Glad you like it!

Ha, it doesn't help that there's an anime with a supposed Dullahan as the main character.Β 

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demonrei9991 In reply to Deimos-Remus [2015-04-12 01:03:39 +0000 UTC]

i know of Durarara, but they did it alright (they still kept the horrifing legends) she just doesn't remember, and thus can be more human. (the one thing i just don't like is people saying that dullahan's are sweet innocent and sensitive things...)

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Deimos-Remus In reply to demonrei9991 [2015-04-15 21:41:53 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, same thing has happened to Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster, over time they've just become too 'human' and 'good guy' ish.Β 

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demonrei9991 In reply to Deimos-Remus [2015-04-15 21:44:27 +0000 UTC]

people can make them pretty all they want, but the origin is still the same.....

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Deimos-Remus In reply to demonrei9991 [2015-04-17 20:16:40 +0000 UTC]

Frankenstein's monster in particular, because of the 1930s film, he's become this 'misunderstood' and more all-around good guy character, when in actuality, in the novel, he does have some humanity to him, but is pretty evil. The films try to omit the evil in his character, and they've screwed up his origin story pretty badly over time.Β 

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demonrei9991 In reply to Deimos-Remus [2015-04-17 21:33:07 +0000 UTC]

that, and when he was made, he was made with the body parts of dead people, who knows how long they've been dead, so...he isn't pretty (which baffles me about frankstein's bride....wtf)

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Deimos-Remus In reply to demonrei9991 [2015-04-18 02:22:52 +0000 UTC]

In the book, he's described more as simply unsettling, rather than hideous. The doctor chose his features as 'beautiful', but seeing something that was once dead and is now living has a certain connotation to it and makes it look more disturbing than it may already be. So it's finding a balance between 'hideous' and 'beautiful' that could bring up some really interesting design choices.Β 

Yeah, the bride wasn't so much in the book either. :/

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demonrei9991 In reply to Deimos-Remus [2015-04-20 07:52:52 +0000 UTC]

at this point, i've given up on any monster staying the way it should, give it about a hundred years, maybe more or less, and even voldemort shall join those ranks too

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EmperorEthan [2015-04-02 23:35:27 +0000 UTC]

Ah, I just finished Durarara so it is cool to see more information on a Dullahan. Celty differs from the "real" legend a bit. Also the art itself is fantastic! Sorry, I didn't mean that to sound like an afterthought!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to EmperorEthan [2015-04-03 01:54:06 +0000 UTC]

Heard about that, sounded interesting!

Ha, no problem at all, glad you like it!

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aristi1982 [2015-04-01 18:00:11 +0000 UTC]

Amazing!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to aristi1982 [2015-04-03 01:55:30 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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DreadedOne131 [2015-04-01 16:25:34 +0000 UTC]

Fascinating story!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to DreadedOne131 [2015-04-03 01:56:06 +0000 UTC]

Definitely! Mythology is such a great source to draw inspiration from!

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TaylorNicoleReed [2015-04-01 13:41:54 +0000 UTC]

Love the monster alphabet! I can't wait to see the rest!!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to TaylorNicoleReed [2015-04-01 23:38:39 +0000 UTC]

Thanks, glad you're liking them!

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J0kunen1 [2015-04-01 12:29:24 +0000 UTC]

Nice!

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Deimos-Remus In reply to J0kunen1 [2015-04-01 23:38:26 +0000 UTC]

Thanks!

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