According the narrator of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," Brom Van Brunt was called Brom Bones by the entire community of Sleepy Hollow. He earned the nickname:

From his Herculean frame and great powers of limb

He is described as broad shouldered, double jointed, and very strong. He has a "buff" face. He is coordinated, athletic, and quite active.

His name is in marked opposition to Ichabod Crane's. "Bones" are solid and strong, while a "crane" is delicate and hollow boned. All through the story, the red-blooded, sharp witted, he-man Bones is contrasted to the weak, bookish, superstitious Crane.

The first figure Bones could be compared to that pops to mind is Paul Bunyan. A modern figure might be a superhero. Hercules, to whom Brom is compared, had superhero-like strength, and Brom is described as being "foremost" or first in most athletic competitions. I might compare him to Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr, from the movie The Incredibles. Both of these men are very strong and good natured. Bob is a family man, and Brom's motivation for driving out Ichabod Crane is his own desire to be a family man himself: he wants to marry Katrina, and Crane is a rival for her hand.

Brom is a very American type hero, contrasted in the story to an effete European-type schoolteacher. In the early days of the United States Washington Irving was participating in nation building, helping the young country forge an identity as robust and pragmatic.