Much of the world ofHollow Knightis shrouded in mystery and its background is ambiguous at the start of the player’s journey. Still, details and secrets can be discovered via exploration and progressing through the story. However, some of these clues are off the beaten path and can only be obtained by pursuingthe true ending.
This article contains heavy spoilers for the story ofHollow Knight.
Home to multitudes of bugs, all with differing affiliations and tribes, the world was first inhabited by an ancient civilization before it became known as the Kingdom of Hallownest.
With no clear ruler, the bugs ofHollow Knightworshiped primordial forces such as the Higher Being known astheRadianceand its “ancient enemy,“theVoid. Due to unknown circumstances, this ancient civilization disappeared into myth, and remnants of their culture can be found deep within the earth. While the Void lay dormant, the Radiance remained, but would eventually be snuffed into obscurity upon the arrival of a new, brighter ruler.
The Arrival of the Pale King
At an unspecified time in history,a great Wyrmarrived, and its remains settled in a quiet corner of the world. According toMister Mushroom, Wryms are ancient beings that “pull bugs into their thrall,” which would explain the immediate acceptance of their arrival. This Wyrm took on the appearance of the local bugs, and emerged as the Pale King, a Higher Being who would go on to establish the Kingdom of Hallownest. From the Wyrm’s Cast-Off Shell in Kingdom’s Edge, ash still swirls in the air.
As explained in the Elegy for Hallownest, written byMonomon the Teacherand shown to players at the very start ofHollow Knight, the Pale King’s presence marked a new era for the land as the bugs’ “base instincts were redeemed.” Granting them with newfound sapience, the Pale King asked that his subjects repay him with their worship and reverence. With these terms accepted, the Pale King went on to dub the land “Hallownest,” the eternal Kingdom.
Many clans of Hallownest willingly accepted the Pale King’s rule, while others kept the new monarch at arm’s length. The bees sequestered themselves in The Hive, while the Spider Tribe of Deepnest vehemently rejected the Pale King. The Mantis Tribe, which predated his arrival, also refused to be subjected to his rule. With his plans of expansion for Hallownest being actively blocked by the beasts of Deepnest, such as the Failed Tramway in the northern region of Deepnest, the Pale King decided to form a truce withthe proud Mantis Tribe. They agreed to keep the beasts at bay by guarding the border between Deepnest and the Fungal Wastes, in exchange for retaining their sovereignty over the Mantis Village.
The Pale King courted theWhite Ladyand appointed theFive Great Knightsto serve as the kingdom’s protectors. Under the monarchy’s rule, Hallownest prospered. An extensive tunnel system that became known asthe Stagwayswas constructed to keep travel and trade convenient throughout the kingdom. The wealthiest of Hallownest’s inhabitants took up residence in the capital, the City of Tears, and the Pale King ruled from the White Palace. Despite the Pale King’s elusive nature, his subjects’ dutifully revered him, but their faith would soon be tested.
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The Suppression of the Radiance
The Moth Tribe were born of the Radiance and worshipped her light, but they abandoned her upon the arrival of the Pale King. Diminished, the Radiance sought to reclaim the minds of the Moth Tribe and extend her influence further than before. She beganappearing in the dreamsof Hallownest’s inhabitants, who struggled against her by performing rituals and praying to their king for reprieve. In response, the Pale King devised a plan to stop the Radiance once and for all.
The Pale King sought aVesselto contain the Radiance and planned to seal her inside the Vessel’s body before locking them both away in the Black Egg Temple. Deep within Hallownest, in the area known as the Abyss, the Pale King and White Lady sired children and infused them withthe power of Voidto counteract their enemy, creating Vessels that lacked a will, voice, and even a mind to prevent the Radiance from corrupting them. Any Vessels that displayed these traits would be discarded, and the process left behind thousands of corpses in the Abyss until thePure Vesselfinally emerged.
The chosen Vessel was taken to the White Palace where the Pale King raised and formed a bond with them as he prepared the next steps of his plan.Three Dreamers(Monomon the Teacher, Lurien the Watcher, and Herrah the Beast) were selected to enter an eternal sleep, in which they would combine their powers to create an impenetrable seal on the Black Egg Temple. Herrah, queen of the Spider Tribe, only agreed to become a Dreamer after the Pale King accepted her terms to have a child with her. This child would be known asHornet, who would go on to become a protector of Hallownest. Hornet is also set to star as the protagonist of the game’s sequel,Hollow Knight: Silksong.
The Radiance was then sealed into the Vessel and both were locked in the Black Egg Temple, complete with the Dreamers' seals. The inhabitants of Hallownest erected a monument in the City of Tears, a fountain depicting the Vessel, known as the Hollow Knight, surrounded by the Dreamers to commemorate their sacrifice. All was to be well again, but despite every measure taken, the Pale King’s plan failed andan Infection spreadthroughout the eternal kingdom. This Infection was formed from the Radiance’s influence on the minds of the bugs.
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The Downfall of Hallownest
It would later be revealed thatthe Hollow Knightwas not as pure as the Pale King had intended, and this flaw proved to be fatal. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Radiance’s influence, known asthe Infection, began to seep out from within the Hollow Knight and its effect on the inhabitants of Hallownest was detrimental. The bugs' sapience, gifted to them by the Pale King, was stripped from them and they reverted to their base instincts, becoming aggressive and mindless.
The Five Great Knights struggled to protect Hallownest from the Infection, with thisformless enemyproving too powerful to defeat. The White Lady bound herself to the Queen’s Gardens, and the Pale King retreated to the Ancient Basin where both he and the White Palace disappeared. Few survived the Infection. Some bugs fled to Dirtmouth, a village located on the outskirts of Hallownest, while others became trapped amongst the ruins. Hallownest had fallen.
The start ofHollow Knightsees a smallKnight, the player character, journeying through the wastelands beyond Hallownest before arriving in Dirtmouth. The purpose of their arrival and what beckoned them to this desolate place is unknown, but it is for the player to discover.
Hollow Knightis available on PC, Linux, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.
