B. J. Harrison Reads The Legend of Sleepy Hollow characters

Appears from the start

A lanky Connecticut schoolmaster who teaches the children of Sleepy Hollow and supplements his income by helping local families. Educated, sociable, and highly superstitious, he enjoys ghost stories despite being easily frightened by them. His large appetite and desire for advancement draw him toward the Van Tassel household and its only daughter.

Appears from the start

The only child of a prosperous Dutch farmer. Katrina is eighteen, attractive, and expected to inherit a comfortable property. Her attention makes her the focus of Ichabod's hopes and of a rivalry between him and Brom Bones.

Also known as Brom Bones, Brom Van Brunt

Appears from the start

A strong, confident local horseman known for practical jokes and physical daring. Brom is Katrina's most formidable suitor. Unable to draw Ichabod into a direct fight, he uses ridicule and mischief to unsettle his rival.

Appears from the start

Katrina's wealthy, hospitable father and the owner of a productive farm. Baltus is less concerned with display than with the comfort and abundance of his household, which makes his estate especially impressive to Ichabod.

Appears from the start

A spectral Hessian soldier said to have lost his head to a cannonball during the Revolutionary War. Local tradition holds that he rides at night in search of it and races back toward the churchyard before dawn. His legend is the valley's most feared supernatural tale.

Appears from the start

The farmer who owns the old, stubborn horse Ichabod borrows for the Van Tassels' gathering. Van Ripper also provides Ichabod with lodging during part of his rotating stay among the district's families.

Appears from the start

Hans Van Ripper's aging, ill-tempered horse, borrowed by Ichabod for his evening ride to the Van Tassel farm. Gunpowder's awkward movement and poor condition make him an unsteady mount for a nervous rider.