Lore in Hollow Knight is an overview of the game's general plot. The story of Hollow Knight is less of a linear journey and more of a puzzle that can be pieced together through different aspects of the game, such as cutscenes, dialogues, lore tablets and entries in the Hunter's Journal. Due to the inherent ambiguity of environmental storytelling, much of the lore is open to interpretation.
Hollow Knight Lore
Before Hallownest existed, the land was split between tribes of insectoid and arachnoid beings: the moths who worshipped The Radiance, plant-like beings in Greenpath who worshipped Unn, the mantises, the mushrooms, the spiders and so forth. Then a higher being known as the Wyrm traveled to the land of Kingdom's Edge and metamorphosed into the Pale King.
He lowered himself to appear like the bugs that inhabited the land, and built up the kingdom of Hallownest, granting the beings free will and sapience. He also sought to expand his kingdom to encompass all of the nearby lands and tribes. The mysterious King's good deeds and godly nature were admirable to most creatures of Hallownest, and the bugs began to follow him, surrendering their archaic religious beliefs. Among them were the Moths, who abandoned their old deity, the Radiance.
The Radiance, becoming malevolent after being forgotten, began to appear in the dreams of the bugs of Hallownest in an attempt to re-establish its following. These visions caused the bugs to become mindless, violent, zombie-like undead beings, suffering eternally. The Radiance's plague became known as the Infection.
The Pale King countered the Radiance by creating Vessels, living insectoid beings made from Void, which the Radiance was powerless against, as they had no ability to dream or any free will. Though thousands of Vessels were created, the Pale King chose only the purest Vessel to become the “Hollow Knight.” This Pure Vessel, called the Hollow Knight by the King, was then used as an instrument to seal the Radiance within it. The Hollow Knight was then locked inside a vault called the Black Egg Temple to prevent the Infection from ever manifesting again, for the safety of Hallownest.
However, the Hollow Knight’s shell eventually cracked due to a small flaw in its purity (its emotional attachment to its creator and father, the Pale King, who raised and trained it). The Infection began to leak out, once again corrupting the minds and bodies of everyone in Hallownest.
Due to this, the Pale King appointed three bugs, known as the Dreamers, to make a seal that would stop the Infection. Monomon was a jellyfish-like scholar and teacher, Lurien was the enigmatic watcher of the City of Tears, and Herrah was the rebellious queen of Deepnest. Monomon and Lurien volunteered to become Dreamers while Herrah made a deal with the Pale King to produce a child. The Dreamers entered stasis to protect the Hollow Knight's slumber.
However, even that couldn’t stop the infection.The kingdom came to ruin, and the Pale King, along with his court and palace, mysteriously vanished across the chaos.
The story of The Hollow Knight begins with the protagonist, the Knight, arriving in Dirtmouth on the border of the old kingdom. The Knight begins its journey through the ruins of Hallownest, seeking answers to the mysteries of its own past.
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The Knight in Hollow Knight is the protagonist of the game. See its page below for more information.
The Knight
The Knight is a strange being known as a Vessel, created by the higher beings The Pale King and The White Lady. It was created in the Abyss, which was later sealed. It is unknown how it escaped the Abyss, but many of its siblings did as well — though only the Knight survived.
Hornet mentions in the City of Tears that the Knight is "born from two voids," one being the Void that the Knight was created in, and the other the area outside of Hallownest. The time that the Knight has spent out there has caused a temporary amnesia but granted it strength and resilience.
Hornet also states that once the Knight obtains a Void Heart and gains back its memories, it will have the power to unify the Void under its own will and claim itself the new King of Hallownest.
The Knight starts off with an Old Nail and the ability to heal itself with the use of Soul. As you dive deep in to the game, the Knight will be given access to new spells, powers, abilities, items, and upgrades.
The Knight Health and Soul
Health Mask
The Health of the Knight is represented by masks in the upper-left corner of the screen. The Knight starts off with 5 masks; more can be obtained by finding Mask Shards. 4 Mask Shards make up 1 new Health Mask, up to a maximum number of 9 Masks in total. The Knight loses health by taking damage from enemies or environmental hazards. Health can be regained by either resting at a Bench or by using Focus.
Lifeblood Mask
Lifeblood Masks are temporary masks that cannot be healed with Focus. They are obtained from Lifeseeds and by equipping specific Charms. Lifeblood Masks from Lifesseds will disappear once you rest at a bench. Lifeblood Masks granted by Charms are restored every time you rest.
SOUL
SOUL is measured by a circular meter found in the left corner of the screen, next to the Health Masks. SOUL is used by The Knight to cast Spells and to heal. Hitting enemies with the Nail is the primary source of regaining SOUL.The Knight can find Vessel Fragments around the area, and every 3 Vessel Fragments allow you to have extra Soul Meters, up to a total of 3 extra Soul Meters.The extra Soul Meters provided by the Vessel Fragments allow you to have enough soul for a single spell/heal.
The Knight Equipment and Abilities
Nail
The Nail is The Knight's main weapon. It can be swung in four directions, damaging enemies, destroying breakable objects or bouncing off walls and spikes. Due to the knockback mechanic, pogoing (hitting enemies and spikes with your nail while striking downwards) can be used to traverse certain areas in Hallownest. You can choose to upgrade The Nail and learn Nail Arts from Nailmasters, unlocking new devastating moves.
Spells
Spells are skills that use SOUL. The Knight starts off with a single spell (Focus) and acquires more as they forge on - for example, the Vengeful Spirit, granted by the Snail Shaman. Spells can be upgraded to more potent versions, hidden in secret locations throughout Hallownest.
Abilities
Abilities are skills that do not use SOUL. They provide The Knight with new ways of traversing Hallownest's terrain and engaging in combat. They are granted by special items, such as Mothwing Cloak, Monarch Wings, and more.
The Knight Gallery
Hollow Knight Merchants
Charm Lover Salubra
"Ooooooooooooohhhhhhh, you surprised me! Hello, hello! Come in, sweetling! Come in and make yourself at home."
Iselda
"Come to buy a map have you? Its really my husband you should be dealing with, but what a surprise! He's headed down below."
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Little Fool
"Aha! Another warrior finds their way to our fair Colosseum. Ours is the final destination for all seeking trials of intense and deadly combat."
Millibelle the Banker
"Hello there dearie. I was about to close up shop and run, till you came along. I provide a banking service if you're interested."
Nailsmith
"After a Nailsmith are you? Well, you've found one. I'm not much for talk, but if its a nail that needs repair then you've come to the right bug."
Relic Seeker Lemm
"Aye Aye. Come searching for rare items, have you? Well, hands off! This collection is mine and I won't be selling to grubby little wanderers."
Steel Soul Jinn
" Jinn, has only many small, shiny things... useless to Jinn, but will trade for wonderful gift."
The Last Stag
"Greetings, little one! It's been an age since I last heard the ringing of a station bell. It echoed down the stagways and called me to you."
Hollow Knight Nailmasters
Nailmaster Mato
"Hm? Ah, well met! Yes, I thought I could sense the aura of a fierce warrior approaching."
Hollow Knight Quest NPCs
Grey Mourner
"Ahhhh.... Me'hon. This world. This cruel, sinful world. Why does che' wake? Why does che' persist?"
Hollow Knight Wanderers and Other NPCs
Cornifer
"I'm a cartographer by trade, and I'm working on mapping this area right now. Would you like to buy a copy of my work so far?"
Elderbug
"Ho there, traveller. I'm afraid there's only me left to offer welcome. Our town's fallen quiet you see."
Mask Maker
"Is it mask or face upon the creature? In Hallownest, a difficult thing it can be to decipher."
Moss Prophet
"Oooohhh radiant being, we are blessed. Your rays touch us. Your warmth fills us. Hallownest is born again, united in your blazing image. Oohhh..."
Snail Shaman
"Oho! Who is that creeping out of the darkness? My, you're looking grim! A strange, empty face and a wicked looking weapon!"
The Hunter
"Tiny squib... You approach fearless. Are you a hunter like me? Do you feel the urge inside, to stalk, to kill, to understand?"
The White Lady
"Oh! One arrives. Far it walks to find me. Did it seek my aid? Or did the path carry it by chance to so pertinant a place?"
Tiso
"Pale thing. You wear that nail with ease. If you're in search of combat, you'll find no great warriors in this decaying burrow."
Willoh
"Oh! Come in search of treats, have you? I chanced upon a unique little fungus growing right above us."
Hollow Knight Grimm Troupe NPCs
Nymm
"Ah. Hello! Hello! I'm new around these parts, so it's marvellous to see so friendly a face, in such a sad town."
Hollow Knight Godmaster NPCs
Hollow Knight Enemies
Bosses are unique enemies that have a higher amount of health and do not respawn. Certain Bosses must be defeated in order to progress through the main game, to complete a Quest or to gain important Items. Below is a list of Hollow Knight bosses, both in the main game and those added by DLCs.
Hollow Knight Bosses
Hollow Knight DLC Bosses
Hollow Knight Warrior Dreams
Warrior Dreams in Hollow Knight are unique bosses. The Knight can only challenge them by using the Dream Nail. Eliminating a Warrior Dream will grant you a large amount of Essence as a reward. Dream Nailing a Warrior Dream will automatically start the battle. Dream Warriors are scattered around Hallownest. Purchasing a Warrior's Grave Pin from Iselda will allow you to mark their locations on your map.
Anonymous
- Anonymous
it doesnt say how the pale king sealed his palace and himself away in a kingsmoulds mind
- Anonymous
but the knight was a vessel.. wasnt he? siblings were also failed vesselds right? and the king hired the pale court as well and... its complicated
- Anonymous
- Anonymous
Hollow knights story is stupid, it’s not worth diving into. There is an infection, the king of all tried to stop it, he hired powerful beings to help his son but still failed. Then u show up like wut hell happened then slap the core of the infection in the face and die in the process. Hornet survives and leaves.
- Anonymous
Can we just talk about the fact the mossbags Video has way more lore than this Wikipedia Page?
- Anonymous
fixed... everything in this article. good lord why am I doing this to myself.
also I think it's pretty funny that *someone* here wants people to have opinions about a video game so bad they actually lie on a wiki to shape the narrative. never mind that they made it unusable.
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doesn't mention how herrah only agreed to become a dreamer if her and pale king made hornet
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ive never thought id read through this page, because my teacher wanted to hear some lore from my fav game.
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This lore explanation needs a spelling, grammar, and clarity check. It also leaves much to be desired.
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well the whole "No cost too great" thing explains the dead vessels/children
- Anonymous
i thought the bugs didn't have intelligence before the pale king took over?
- Anonymous
what about all of the dead children in the abyss from the pale king and white lady
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I don't thing Hornet was referring to whatever happened to the knight outside of the kingdom, she was likely making some reference to the Pale King.
- Anonymous
didn't the Pail King give bugs intelligence or higher thought and the Radiance wanted a mindless kingdom? the bugs didn't have intelligence
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