Sleepy Hollow is introduced as a quiet valley near the Hudson River, steeped in old Dutch traditions and an atmosphere so dreamy it makes people more superstitious just by living there. The area is filled with local legends, haunted spots, strange sounds, and eerie sightings, all feeding the sense that the land is bewitched. The most feared presence is the Headless Horseman, said to be the ghost of a Hessian soldier who lost his head in the Revolutionary War and still rides at night searching for it.