Headless Horseman

Headless Horseman
The Headless Horseman as seen in The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
Basic Info
Race	Nord
Gender	Male
Level	1
Class	Warrior
Location	Random (Wild)
Health	50
Magicka	50
Stamina	50
Condition	Deceased (Ghost)
Essential	No
Respawn	No
Ref ID	FF004EA8
Base ID	0010B302

The Headless Horseman is the headless specter of a warrior who can be seen riding around Skyrim on his ghostly steed at night, or staying at Hamvir's Rest during the day, facing its cemetery. He wields an iron or steel battleaxe and wears steel plate armor.

Interactions

He will spawn randomly anywhere in the world between 10 PM and 4 AM. He will occasionally stop and let himself be examined and then continue riding. If one looks closely, it seems he is wearing steel plate armor, gauntlets, and boots. The Horseman performs no actions, and cannot be harmed. The Headless Horseman is also not connected to any quests.

If he is followed, he will normally go to Hamvir's Rest. There will be three skeletons and one leveled draugr to fight, as well as a master-level chest, some random items, and nightshade to collect. If Hamvir's Rest is fast-traveled to during the daytime, the Headless Horseman can be seen there. He will stand at the entrance of the cemetery and will not move until the Dragonborn is out of his sight.

Known quotes

• "Finality."
• "Such an abrupt end to our game." —Upon entering Hamvir's Rest with the Headless Horseman and killing something that is chasing him. Can also be heard anytime he is being followed.
• "Who dares disturb my rest?" —Upon encountering the Horseman.
• "You are not welcome here." —Upon entering Hamvir's Rest with the Horseman.
• "All the living shall fear the dead." —Rarely said when the Horseman is watching the undead being fought.
• "You will join the dead." —Said when in combat.

Gallery

The Headless Horseman near Dragon Bridge.

When meeting the Headless Horseman the first time, then load the save again and meet him again at same place and his horse goes black.

Trivia

• If his path is blocked, he will change direction.
• He is a reference to the headless horseman in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.
• His armor is Steel Plate Armor but obviously, without the helmet.
• If one uses the console commands removeallitems or removeallitems player after selecting the Headless Horseman, he will no longer be headless. This is because the Headless Horseman wears a unique Steel Plate Armor which causes the wearer's head to be invisible.

Bugs

This section contains bugs related to Headless Horseman. Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following: Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.

•  PC   360   PS3   Sometimes, when being followed, the Horseman may float up in the air and fly around erratically. He will never continue to Hamvir's Rest during this bug, but he will disappear come morning.
• Sometimes the Horseman will go the wrong direction and stall, the only ways to get him back on track is to wait a few minutes, or push him.
• Sometimes, the Horseman is spawned off of his steed, which will chase after him.
• If the Headless Horseman is encountered when saving the game, then the save is reloaded, his steed will be black.
• Bandits and animals will try to attack his steed on occasion.

Appearances

• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim