Tribes of Hallownest (lore and spoilers)

[jyakimow]

I got to thinking about the various races and factions that exist in the world of Hollow Knight. Just wanted to post my thoughts and see if any folk have something to add.

Hallowbugs - these are the various races making up the citizenry of Hallownest, the subjects of the Pale King. Since the bugs of Hallownest come in many different types, this is a clear example that a given faction in the world is not solely a matter of species. The survivor Emilita mentions she is a member of a caste, so Hallownest society may have been divided along caste/species lines, or all bugs may be considered the same species and the divide is purely based on caste. Different types of bugs making up the kingdom included Maggots, Sentries, Stags, Menderbugs, and many others. The majority of the Hallowbugs have became the husks that wander the kingdom's ruins.

Moth Tribe - mentioned in the history spoken of by the Seer, and possessed magical powers relating to the power of dreams. The Moths claim to have been born from the light of a divine being, the Radiance, but eventually died out. With the death/ascension of the Seer, the last of her kind, the Moth tribe is extinct in the world.

Mantis Tribe - a group of powerful and proud warriors, who held themselves aloof from the Pale King's authority, but accepted a peace treaty with him and confined themselves to the Fungal Wastes. They resisted the corruption that brought ruin to Hallownest, for the most part. At some point in their history they were ruled by four lords, but one became a traitor to the tribe and left with many mantises to dwell in the Queen's Gardens, having succumbed to the infection in exchange for greater power.

Beast Tribe - vicious, predatory arachnid bugs sometimes called 'beasts', they would not accept the ways of the Pale King's civilization and lived a more primitive existence at the edge of the King's territory. The King's efforts to bring modernization in the form of trams and stations to the area were rebuffed by the beasts, who seem to weave their dwellings out of silk rather than constructing them. Like other factions there seems to be a variety of different castes to the beasts. One member, the Midwife, proclaimed the tribe the most intelligent of species, and that they have been lost to the infection.

The Weavers - possibly a specialized caste of the Beast Tribe, the Weavers dwelt in Deepnest. The Midwife speaks of them as being capable of amazing feats of magical weaving, crafting historical records, magical spells, even living creatures. The Weaversong charm was one of their creations, and mentions that they departed Hallownest for their old home.

Mosskin Tribe - a race of bugs that seem to be part plant. Older members of the Mosskin appear to take root in place as they grow larger. They paid homage to a being call Unn, a colossal slug-creature they treat as a deity, who dwells in the acidic waters of Greenpath. A stone tablet possibly written by the Mosskin mentions that regions of their lands have been claimed by a 'pale being' that they warned others to beware of - possibly referring either to the Pale King building his kingdom of Hallownest, or the White Lady, who exiled herself to a forested area claimed as the 'Queen's Gardens'. The Mosskin tribe was afflicted by the infection and call for aid from Unn, but was not spared.

Snail Tribe - snail-like bugs who wield strange, shamanistic powers. Their ancient mound-dwellings can be found in remote regions of Hallownest. The snail shaman held powerful sorceries and mastery of SOUL energy, which could linger on even in their remains. The snail shaman in the Forgotten Crossroads is the only known living example of this tribe.

Fluke Tribe - a race of creatures that have come to dwell in the abandoned waterways and sewer tunnels beneath the City of Tears. They have incredible survival capability, as when cut in half both halves can survive as separate creatures. Though adult members of the race walk on two legs as many sentient bugs do, and they do not attempt to feed on one-another, it is unclear just how intelligent they truly are.

The Hive/Bee Tribe - a hive of bees dwells at the edge of Hallownest. The bulk of the race appears to have limited intellect, reacting with hostility to all intruders but accepting those who bear a sign of the Hive as one of their own. A large queen within their hive seems to be the source of the race, and the lingering phantom of a previous queen claims the Hive holds itself separate from Hallownest, indicating that they existed outside the Pale King's authority. The ghost-queen maintains that the Hive has nothing to do with the cycle of Hallownest and showed some degree of disregard for the efforts of the Pale King and his queen to preserve their kingdom.

Grubfly Tribe - worm/caterpillar-like bugs who are highly capable burrowers, able to make their way from all over Hallownest safely to their home burrow near the surface. They have a curious life-cycle that is not fully understood...

Shrumal Tribe - not truly bugs at all, the Shrumal race seems to consist of semi-intelligent fungus creatures. Certain Shrumal appear to possess or develop a higher intelligence than the bulk of the race. Like other life in the region, the Shrumal were afflicted by the infection. The remnants of a large Shrumal creature can be found in the fungal wastes, his lingering memory one of lament to the Pale King about his race's downfall. The mysterious entity Mr. Mushroom may have some connection to the Shrumal.

The Fools - less a true race and more an organization of individuals, the Fools flock from all over the realm to the Colosseum of Fools to engage in grand battles to the death with vicious beasts and each other for glory and the adulation of the crowds (who may also be Fools). Champions enjoy fame, while the losers are cast into the acidic pools far below the Colosseum, and even former champions may eventually wind up dumped like refuse. Given the name they afford themselves, the Fools seem somewhat aware that their violent spectacle is pointless, unnecessary, and wasteful, but appear to hold it in high regard nonetheless.

The Grimm Troupe - a band of mysterious bugs from beyond the realm of Hallownest. Forming a traveling carnival, the troupe is drawn to a fallen kingdom by the lighting of a magical device called the Nightmare Lantern. Their leader, Grimm, dispatches his grimmkin followers throughout the kingdom to gather ominous scarlet flames, which have a connection to dream essence. Hallownest is not the first such land they've visited...

Higher Beings - not an organized faction as such, but a label that includes some creatures in the world of Hallownest who appear to be more than simply mortal. The Pale King is one such bug, having been born from another mysterious creature known only as a Wyrm, a creature from beyond the known boundaries of the land. The White Lady, a creature seemingly part plant and growing many roots, may also be such an entity. Other curious beings are Bardoon, Unn the Slug, and the Mask-Maker. The Radiance may be considered among the ranks of these beings, but may also represent a form of life beyond them. The term 'Higher Being' may also refer to any bug with a sentient, individual mind.

The Black Kingdom - before the founding of Hallownest, possibly even before the rule of the Radiance, an ancient civilization existed in the area. Only a few relics scattered about the kingdom and some ruins buried in the deepest depths of the earth remain, but judging by a statue built by them they were a race of bugs. They wielded powers of both SOUL and VOID, the latter of which exists in abundance in the depths, taking the form of a pitch black liquid. What befell them is a mystery. The Pale King excavated a portion of their ancient kingdom and made use of their knowledge of VOID power, sealing it afterwards with the intention of never returning.

Vessels - not truly a race of living beings but innumerable artificial beings, crafted by the Pale King. Their creation involved 'Soul of Wyrm, Soul of Root, Heart of Void' - referring in some manner to the Pale King (Wyrm), the VOID (Heart of Void), and possibly the White Lady (Root) who mentions playing some role in their creation. Innumerable vessels were created and discarded, leaving behind only broken masks and lingering shades in the deepest depths of Hallownest.

[Wincent, The Hollow Knight]

Awesome list :D

[Fracastador]

While not part of "hallownest" per say, the White Defender mentions a battle of something called "Blackwyrm."
There may be other wyrm-born kingdoms besides hallownest, and they may not be very friendly with one another.
Mr. Mushroom also talks about how "wyrms pull bugs into their thrall" suggesting its a repeating occurrence.
Food for thought.

[jyakimow]

Originally posted by Fracastador:

While not part of "hallownest" per say, the White Defender mentions a battle of something called "Blackwyrm."
There may be other wyrm-born kingdoms besides hallownest, and they may not be very friendly with one another.
Mr. Mushroom also talks about how "wyrms pull bugs into their thrall" suggesting its a repeating occurrence.
Food for thought.

Indeed! I'm thinking of writing another thread about some of the higher powers in Hollow Knight, and the wyrms would feature, although there's still so little known about them.

I speculated that the Lord Fool of the Colosseum of Fools might also be such a wyrm-born bug, having drawn a 'kingdom' of gladiators to him before perishing, in something of a reflection of the Pale King's kingdom.

The Grimm Troupe confirms that other kingdoms exist beyond the borders of Hallownest, and some of them may indeed have been born from other wyrms.

[TheBrightKing]

Good job man, couldnt explain it better myself :p

[Pear Spin On]

Originally posted by Fracastador:

While not part of "hallownest" per say, the White Defender mentions a battle of something called "Blackwyrm."
There may be other wyrm-born kingdoms besides hallownest, and they may not be very friendly with one another.
Mr. Mushroom also talks about how "wyrms pull bugs into their thrall" suggesting its a repeating occurrence.
Food for thought.

To add to the whole wyrm "tribe" (i gues you would call it? idk), in the room where you find the lifeblood core (at the mantle specfically) you can see a gigantic creature with six eyes blinking and breathing at you in the background. Could this be a wyrm?

Heres a video of it (i didnt make this video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tDwx0oEbok

[Fracastador]

It doesn't look much like the wyrm that we saw in kingdom's edge, and I the game has an internal file that referes to that creature as "Abyss Creature."
Not that such a description precludes it from being a wyrm, but I think it lends a bit of weight against it.

[TheBrightKing]

Originally posted by Fracastador:

It doesn't look much like the wyrm that we saw in kingdom's edge, and I the game has an internal file that referes to that creature as "Abyss Creature."
Not that such a description precludes it from being a wyrm, but I think it lends a bit of weight against it.

the lore, in the white defenders description refers to something called the battle of the blackwyrm, so this could totally be a wyrm, a black wyrm that was buried in the abyss with the other vessels