Ichabod Crane is a fictional character and the protagonist in Washington Irving's short story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , first published in 1820.The latest incarnation (Sleepy Hollow 2013, TV) has been asleep for almost 2 hundred years. He awakens at the same time as the headless horseman. (His wife, Katrina, was a witch who used her magic to put him in a magical slumber. The intent was that he would return to battle evil.) Before his slumber Ichabod knew quite a few historical figures which helps him battle evil a long side of the witness (1st witness was Abbie Mills 2nd is Molly.)