What are the motifs in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving?

The imagination is a constant motif in this story. "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a story about stories and story-tellers, and a lesson in keeping the line clear between fiction and reality. The title is significant. Irving identifies this as a legend, a type of story that may be loosely based on truth but is clearly fiction, that may feature the supernatural, that is handed down by a people and that reflects the national character of that people.