History Characters / HollowKnightHallownest

-> See [[Characters/HollowKnightGroups this]] page for their individual entries.

[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonists]] | '''''Hallownest''''' ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Assorted [=NPCs=]]], [[Characters/HollowKnightLoreAndHistory Historic Characters]], [[Characters/HollowKnightBosses Bosses]]) | ''[[Characters/HollowKnightSilksongPharloom Pharloom]]'' | [[Characters/HollowKnightExpandedUniverse Expanded Universe]]]]]]-]

[[folder:Tribe of Unn]]
!!Mosskin Tribe
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_mosskin_tribe.png]]

A group of bugs worshipping Unn, a Higher Being dwelling somewhere in the Greenpath. They were allied with the Kingdom of Hallownest and agreed to have paths build in their territory, as long as they could attack anyone moving away into the wilderness itself.

* {{Cult}}: Unn is worshipped by the Mosskin in Greenpath, for being the deity who brought them and that place's green vegetation.
* ForestRanger: Played with. They protect the vegetations and devote themselves to Unn to the point of building even a shrine for their god, but the trained warriors of the Mosskin are armed with a sword and shield.
* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Some of the moss bugs blend well with the green plants and moss of their land.
** The Mosscreeps and Moss Chargers can hide, pop-up and even burrow to the ground and re-appear.
** Moss Knights hide in thick bushes, waiting to ambush the enemy. It may throw the player off guard during the first scripted Moss Knight encounter, but they can be spotted easily since the "hidden" Moss Knights still have their heads popping out of the bush.
* KnightTemplar: Moss Knights patrol the Greenpath and will viciously attack anyone that comes too close. They believe they are defending their god's dream from interlopers.
* NatureIsNotNice: Before the Infestation, they would still kill anyone who strayed too far from the paths.
* NatureSpirit: They worship one.
* ReclaimedByNature: The few parts of the Greenpath and the Queen's Gardens that had buildings and roads are now overgrown with foilage and thorny vines.
* UndergroundMonkey: Volatile Mosskin look very similar to regular Mosskin, but regularly emit DeadlyGas and [[ActionBomb explode after death]].
* UndyingLoyalty: Even if Greenpath or the Mosskin themselves are infected, their loyalty is still for Unn.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fungal Tribe]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_fungal_tribe.png]]

A tribe of sentient mushroom beings residing in Fungal Wastes. Despite not being bugs nor plants, the Fungal Tribe seems to have developed its own civilization and language, as written in their lore tablets.

* FesteringFungus: The Fungal Waste area is overrun by mushrooms. This includes not only sapient mushrooms, but Plague zombies with mushrooms growing on them. They explode into orange gas instead of attacking directly. It's implied, however, they became spore carriers after they died and zombified.
* HardHead: Shrumal Ogres are immune to downward nail attacks from mid-air, thanks to their thick caps. Subverted with spells like Desolate Dive that can still damage them.
* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: All of them blend well and hide in the background and mushrooms of the Fungal Wastes, they jump up once you get too close. The boss fight against the Shrumal Ogres count as well, since they are sleeping in the stage at first.
* HiveMind: A lore tablet in Fungal Wastes mentions the tribe have their "mind united".
* MobWar: There is a hostility between the Weavers of the Deepnest versus both of the Mantis Villagers and Fungal Tribe residing in the Fungal Wastes. The more direct wars however, happen between the mantises and spiders since the mantis village is located just near the entrance to Deepnest. The Fungal Tribe on the other hand, refuse to make any truce with the Weavers.
* MushroomMan: They're living mushroom creatures.
* PartiallyCivilizedAnimal: They have developed their own language and a semblance of civilization. However, it is limited as the shrooms are connected via a HiveMind and not of their individual wills.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mantis Tribe]]
!!Mantis Villagers
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_mantis_village.png]]

A tribe of warriors who managed to resist the Infestation and fall of Hallownest through sheer might and dedication to their lifestyle. Most of the mantises remained in their village located between the Fungal Wastes and Deepnest.

* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: How the traitors are now residing in the Queen's Gardens. [[spoiler:They've killed most of the sentient bugs there... Except for the spot where the White Lady is located, as the Great Knight Dryya's corpse is seen atop a mountain of mantis traitors' corpses, implying that she was at least successful in fending off a number of them, unfortunately at the cost of her life]].
* AsskickingEqualsAuthority: After you beat the Mantis Lords, all other mantises will not attack you and instead bow to you.
* BarbarianTribe: Mantises are driven by their [[BloodKnight desire for combat]]. A tablet written in one of the village's entrances even drives the outsiders to expect their deaths in the hands of the tribe.
* BattleTrophy: Within the vicinities of the Mantis Village are countless masks and shells of other bugs skewered in weapons and used as decorations.
* CloserToEarth: Implied that they kept themselves free from the Infestation is because they live simple, brutal lives.
* EvilMakesYouMonstrous: Applies to the [[spoiler:Mantis Traitors who are now infected, but went into some BodyHorror changes. The Traitor Lord takes the cake out of the changes, since he is now massive]].
* HiddenElfVillage: Their village is located in the deepest levels of the Fungal Wastes, just near the entrance to the Deepnest.
* HoldTheLine: Sometime in the past, the Pale King and the Mantis Lords made a truce. On the Mantises' side, they were to kill anything that stumbles out of the Deepnest - And if you look at the gate to the Deepnest from the Mantis Village, [[AtopAMountainOfCorpses they've been doing this for a loooong time.]]
* HonorBeforeReason: [[spoiler:There is a fourth Mantis Lord who went out of the tribe's code and embraced the infection for wanting more power, also having a number of other mantises to join him. The tribe's response was to cast all of the infected mantises away and brand them as traitors. These traitors can then be found in the Queen's Gardens.]]
* LightningBruiser: All Mantises are very quick and are some of the more difficult enemies in the beginning of the game.
* MobWar: There is a hostility between the Weavers of the Deepnest versus both of the Mantis Villagers and Fungal Tribe residing in the Fungal Wastes. The more direct wars however, happen between the mantises and spiders since the mantis village is located just near the entrance to Deepnest. The Fungal Tribe on the other hand, refuse to make any truce with the Weavers.
* NaturalWeapon: The common Mantis Warriors use their "claws" when fighting.
* NobleSavage: They live in the Fungal Wastes and border the Deepnest, living in rough huts and display masks of defeated enemies everywhere. They will still respect you if you beat their leaders.
* ProudWarriorRaceGuy: All of them in the Mantis Village, so much. They aren't infected or anything; they just always fight you regardless.
* SlayingMantis: The theme of the entire tribe, they are warrior mantises.
* TheSpartanWay: The mantis youths are compelled to kill in order to prove themselves to the tribe before becoming warriors.
* UndergroundMonkey: Mantis Traitors and Mantis Petras are upgraded versions of the Mantis Warriors and Mantis Youths, respectively; the former using a [[DivingKick dive attack]] in addition to their DeadlyLunge, the latter throwing [[SinisterScythe scythes]] similar to those of the Mantis Lords.
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: The infection gave the traitors strength, but a side-effect, it also drove them mad.

!! Mantis Traitors
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_mantis_traitors.png]]

Unfortunately, a group of mantises were also cast away and branded as traitors for embracing the Infection.
----
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Soul Sanctum's Scholars]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_soul_sanctum_scholars.png]]

Intelligent bugs who secluded themselves in their sanctum and devoted their lives in researching soul in an attempt to cure the Radiance's infection. However, the Pale King began to oppose their researches as the scholars have been conducting experiments on bugs. Now driven by madness and the infection itself, the scholars went mad and believed that soul is the key to immortality.
----
* FaceHeelTurn: Their original goal of experimenting with soul was under the belief that it could help the King to cure the infection in his kingdom. But due to the infection itself and the "prophetic visions" that the Soul Master was supposedly receiving, things changed when these scholars believed that soul could give them immortality instead. Live experimentations on bugs happened, prompting the Pale King himself to oppose these scholars.
* GoneHorriblyWrong: Nothing good came out of most of their researches, and their end-results with other beings mostly become failed experiments aptly named Mistakes and Follies.
* ImmortalityImmorality: The Soul Sanctum is an academic institution that serves as home to the Soul Master and his pupils; they sought to stop the plague and achieve immortality by harvesting and twisting soul to aid their research. Without a dream nail or the innate ability to steal soul, the only method of collection is to inflict harm on other living creatures, and after defeating the Soul Master you can find a room filled with the husks of hundreds of dead bugs.
* ImmortalitySeeker: The Soul Master and his fellow researchers hoped to find a way to live forever, but they were all driven mad and deformed by misusing the power of souls.
* MadScientist: Technically applies to all of them under the leadership of the Soul Master. Once aimed to cure the infection by researching on the soul, they've began abusing the powers of the soul in an attempt to achieve immortality, and began conducting experiments on other creatures. Plus, there's also the exposition that the Soul Master himself is [[spoiler:getting inspiration from his so-called "prophetic dreams", hinting that he may have been infected by the Radiance in the first place]].
* PowerFloats: The Soul Master and the Soul Twister can float, thanks to their experiments.
* TheSmartGuy: These scholars are highly intelligent.
* TeleportSpam: The Soul Master, Soul Twister and Soul Warrior enemies can do this a lot to escape or get close to the Knight in combat.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Nest]]
!!The Weavers
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_deepnest_weavers.png]]

At the borders of Hallownest lives a tribe of spider-like bugs, hidden away in the Deepnest. The Weavers don't follow any of the laws of Hallownest and would happily catch, kill and eat any bug that dare stray into the darkness they inhabit.
----
* CallARabbitASmeerp: Zig-zagged with spiders, who are actually called "spiders" a couple of times, but most dialogues refer to them as dwellers of the Deepnest (note how their chief, Herrah, is only ever called "The Beast") or collectively known as "The Weavers".
* {{Cult}}: The Weavers have Acolytes and seem fanatically dedicated to their leader, Herrah. It isn't clear what kind of cult it is however - most likely either a CultOfPersonality around Herrah (as her mask is seen as an icon everywhere), or a BreedingCult that seeks to breed more Weavers, or some sort of a "hunting cult" that takes great pride in killing and eating anything they get their claws on.
* DarkIsEvil: They are spiders who live in the dark.
* ExtraEyes: They have three pairs of eyes.
* HadToBeSharp: Implied; to live in the Deepnest, the most dangerous part of Hallownest by a long stretch, you would have to use any means and skills necessary to survive.
* HiddenDepths: Surprisingly, the Weavers had several talents that contributed to the growth of their tribe.
-->'''Midwife''': "Amazing things the weavers once crafted on their looms; stories, shields, spells."
* HiddenElfVillage: Their home is the Distant Village, a few dozen silk cocoons hanging over a dark lake in the Deepnest. It has a few signs that the Kingdom of Hallownest was allowed to built a Stagway and some other buildings, but they look as though they've never been used.
* IHaveTheHighGround: Almost all Weavers will attack the Knight from walls, ceilings or from the air, walking on invisible strands of silk.
* MagicallyBindingContract: Herrah the Beast struck a deal with the Pale King to be one of the Dreamers to [[spoiler:seal away the Radiance]]. In return, Herrah asked the King to father her a daughter, which he agreed to. The child ([[spoiler:who is none other than Hornet]]), technically a half-princess HeroicBastard of Hallownest, was born from their union and raised by a midwife.
* MobWar: There is a hostility between the Weavers of the Deepnest versus both of the Mantis Villagers and Fungal Tribe residing in the Fungal Wastes. The more direct wars however, happen between the mantises and spiders since the mantis village is located just near the entrance to Deepnest. The Fungal Tribe on the other hand, refuse to make any truce with the Weavers.
* SpidersAreScary: The savage bugs of Deepnest are mostly variants of spiders.
* TownWithADarkSecret: [[spoiler:They eat other sentient bugs]].
* UndyingLoyalty: The Weavers, Stalking Devouts are loyal to the queen of the Nest, Herrah the Beast.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Colosseum of Fools]]
!!The Fools
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_colosseum_fools.png]]

The Colosseum seems to be one of the few still-functioning tribes in Hallownest; a huge arena where gladiators travel from far and wide to test their mettle.
----
* BloodKnight: Despite being infected, they still hold on to their quest for glory and victory in the trials.
* BloodSport: What we're all here for! A Fool ponders if it's really worth it...
--> ''"Are we all Fools?..."''
* ChallengeRun: The Colosseum is just three increasingly difficult combat challenges when you come down to it.
* DeadGuyOnDisplay: The Lord Fool, the known leader of the Colosseum is literally a corpse, a puppet placed half-slumped on his throne when the knight arrives. The rest of the spectators doesn't seem to need his leadership either way.
* DisposingOfABody: The first sign of the Colosseum most players will see is in the Kingdom's Edge. Occasionally, the corpse of a Fool will fall down from above, crashing onto a platform or into the acid pools below.
* GladiatorGames: The spectators watch as Fools fight each other to their death for their amusement. The Knight can become the lord of the arena if they defeat the previous one, the [[RedBaron God Tamer]].
* ImmigrantPatriotism: Within the ranks of the Fools, there are also bugs from other tribes such as the Mantis Traitors and Soul Sanctum Scholars who chose to fight in the colosseum.
* ItsRainingMen: The area in Kingdom's Edge with the acid pools? That's where the Fools dump their defeated contestants, literally evoking this trope when dozens of them can be seen falling every time you climb higher on the platforms.
* LaughTrack: The spectators will laugh at some things that humiliate the contestants, such as the Knight getting tricked by a Grub mimic, or just anything that [[spoiler:Zote]] does in the Colosseum.
* PartiallyCivilizedAnimal: The Fools are bloodthirsty warriors in the trials. But outside the actual fights in the colosseum? They are surprisingly passive
* UndergroundMonkey:
** Volt Twisters, only encountered during the Trial of the Fool, are recolored and slightly redrawn Soul Twisters with lightning-based attacks.
** The Colosseum of Fools also has Sharp Baldurs, Armored Squits, Battle Obbles, and Death Loodles, which are spikier and more heavily armored than their main game counterparts.
* UnstoppableRage: The Fools are mostly consumed by the Infestation, but that doesn't stop the twin bosses of the second Trial from ''flipping their shit'' when their partner is killed!
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Flukes]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_flukes.png]]

Worm-like, parasitic creatures residing only in the damp Royal Waterways. Most of them are driven mad by the infection now, only wanting to breed even more. There is an uninfected fluke out of them however, the Fluke Hermit. But even it holds the desire to expand their numbers.
----
* CallASmeerpARabbit: Flukemons and Flukefeys look nothing like parasitic flukes, and are closest to annelid worms, particularly leeches.
* HellIsThatNoise: All flukes let out grating, gurgling and slobbering sounds when they become aggressive.
* MotherOfAThousandYoung: The Flukemarm is the one reproducing all the Flukemons and Flukefeys you encounter in the Royal Waterways.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Hive]]
!!The Bees
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_hive_bees.png]]

Sentient bugs that live in the Hive located below the Kingdom's Edge. They have rejected the Pale King's quest and secluded themselves to their own businesses. Unfortunately, Vespa's death weakened the Hive and exposed it to the infection outside.
----
* BeeAfraid: The bees in the hive are easily aggro'd by the Knight's presence. That is, unless you wear the Hiveblood charm which acts as an EncounterRepellant against them.
* CallARabbitASmeerp: There are bees in Hallownest, but they are never once called "Bees", instead referred to as denizens of the Hive, where they are found (similarly, the area is never called a "beehive": only "Hive").
* CloserToEarth: They rejected the Pale King's attempt of truce from the Hallownest kingdom, since these bees only want to protect their queen and live in their hive.
* FantasticRacism: Anyone who enters the Hive without having a trace of their blood is attacked and labeled an intruder. Fortunately, the Hiveblood charm does protect the Knight against the Bees, by way of being an EncounterRepellant.
* HiveCasteSystem: Fitting for a bee colony, there exists Hivelings for simple tasks, Soldiers and Guardians as their primary defenders, the Hive Knight as their last line of defense, and Vespa the Hive Queen being their leader.
* HiveMind: They are simply collectively known as the Hive and are implied to act on a unified order.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: By the time they are already infected, the Bees were never fully aware that [[spoiler:their Queen already died. A literal case of UndyingLoyalty happens soon after]].
* UndyingLoyalty: Since their infected minds are [[LockedOutOfTheLoop unware]] of [[spoiler:their Queen's death, they are aimlessly protecting the Hive even if they no longer have a leader. This state of mind saddens their Queen's ghost, and she even expresses relief that the Hive Knight is now free when you kill him]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Radiance's Domain]]
!!Moth Tribe
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_moth_tribe.png]]

Ancient beings created by The Radiance and knowledgeable in the manipulation of dreams.
----
* AmbiguouslyEvil: The tribe were the main worshippers of Radiance. However, some of them can still be sentient enough to reflect on and be ashamed of their deeds, such as the [[spoiler:Seer who now looks for a worthy wielder of the Dream Nail]].
* BeAllMySinsRemembered: After forging the Awakened Dream Nail, the Seer requests the Knight [[{{Unperson}} not to remember]] the entire moth tribe for they do not deserve such praise over the consequences of their actions.
* {{Cult}}: The Radiance is worshipped by the moth tribe.
* DreamWalker: They specialized in the manipulation of dreams and they created the Dream Nail, a weapon/tool that allows non-moths to access other people's dreams. [[spoiler:A flying moth even saved the Knight when the Dreamers attempted to trap it in the Dream World]].
* DueToTheDead: Under the Pale King's rule, the Moth Tribe were tasked to be the caretakers of the Resting Grounds, the place to remember Hallownest's deceased citizens.
* DyingRace: Whatever happened to the other remnants of the Tribe, they died off-screen to the point that the Seer became the LastOfTheirKind. The other deceased moths were even aware of the fate of their race, that when you use the Dream Nail on the statue holding the Dream Shield, they urge the Seer to protect herself since she is the last. [[spoiler:Unfortunately once the Seer recovers all of her memories, she disappears into Essence, bringing the end of the moth tribe.]]
* HeelFaceTurn: A race created by the Radiance, but the moths turned themselves to serve the Pale King after his arrival in Hallownest and soon after, they eventually forgot the Radiance.
* MacabreMothMotif: They descended from the Radiance herself, (also a higher being that took the form of a moth), and they can access dreams in one way or another.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The moths left behind a [[spoiler:statue on top of the Crystal Peak to remember the Radiance. But even after their HeelFaceTurn, the statue served as the catalyst for other bugs to be infected by the Radiance]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Grimm Troupe]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_grimm_troupe.png]]

A travelling group of performer bugs, who evoke a theme of circus plays, conducting tents, music and plays to the kingdoms that they visit. Their leader Grimm, states that there is a reason for the troupe to choose "dying kingdoms" as their destinations. However, there is actually a secret held within the entire troupe, with all of them being slaves of something more powerful working behind the scenes.
----
* OneHundredPercentAdorationRating: The troupe really loves and respects their master Grimm, and by extension, the successor Grimmchild. [[spoiler:Even Brumm's request of banishing the entire troupe is actually a sign of goodwill in itself, since he is aware that ''everyone'' including Grimm, is a slave to a powerful higher being. He just wants to set his friends free from the cycle.]]
* AmbiguouslyEvil: If you talk to the denizens of Dirtmouth, they all comment that there's something "sinister" about the Troupe, but it's not entirely clear what it is.
* CircusOfFear: They reside in a red-themed circus tent, and one of the "performances" include Grimm fighting someone else from the kingdom that they visit.
* CoolMask: They wear white masks with vertical splits crossing their eyes. Divine gets a half-mask though.
* CreepyCircusMusic: Fitting for their theme of being connected to [[spoiler:nightmares]], the presence of the Grimm Troupe is accompanied with circus music. Among them, you can interact with Brumm, the troupe member who is playing the accordion inside the tent.
* {{Cult}}: The Grimm Troupe is this for [[spoiler:the Nightmare's Heart, as they conduct rituals in an attempt to sustain the life of the Heart by providing it with vessels]].
* TheDreaded: Try to talk to any Dirtmouth NPC the moment the troupe arrives in the town. They will express fear out of the feeling that something sinister is nearby. Consequently, if you decide to go through the Banishment route to make the troupe disappear, the Dirtmouth citizens (especially the Elderbug) will be glad that they are gone.
* DreamWalker: It is stated that they travel through the dreams of an acolyte who set and lit a Nightmare Lantern in a given place.
-->'''Hunter's Journal for Troupe Master Grimm''': "Through dream I travel, at lantern's call".
* GoodColorsEvilColors: The Grimm Troupe are themed around a dull red, and are sinister if not outright evil.
* PassingTheTorch: This is an indication why Grimm wants the Grimmchild to grow – so that he will [[spoiler:have a successor before he dies]]. And the "torch" can be taken literally in the context of the troupe's [[PlayingWithFire symbolism with fire]], since the current Troupe Leader Grimm has [[spoiler:to be killed in the ritual of making the next Grimmchild grow after collecting the flames. Or as a poem in the Grimmkin Master's Journal entry reads, "Burn the father, feed the child."]]
* PlayingWithFire: They seem to rely too much on flames - You call the troupe to Hallownest by lighting a brazier, Grimm and his Grimmkins use lots of fire-based attacks and projectiles, and the entire quest of evolving the Grimmchild requires you to collect crimson flames.
* RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver: Part of the outfit color theme and "sinister" aura of the Troupe.
* SlaveMook: [[spoiler:All members of the Troupe, including Grimm himself, are actually just pawns or slaves of [[GreaterScopeVillain The Nightmare's Heart]].]]
* ViciousCycle: Once the Grimmchild has matured, someone has to [[spoiler:kill the current Nightmare King Grimm]] to make the cycle continue. The Grimmchild would then be set as [[spoiler:the new Grimm]].
[[/folder]]

!Citizens of Hallownest
While Hallownest's citizenship may be on the decline, there are still a few friendly faces to be found there.
----
-> See [[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs this]] page for their individual entries.

!Historic Figures of Hallownest
Hallownest's history is deep, and it's past still haunts it a ghost.
----
-> See [[Characters/HollowKnightLoreAndHistory this]] page for the individual entries of the many historic figures of Hallownest.

!Bosses of Hallownest
Hallownest is full of many powerful foes that the Knight must face, some stronger than others.
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!Tribes of Hallownest

!!Tribes of Hallownest
Within the caverns you traverse live all sorts of different creatures, civilizations and tribes - and not all of them are related to the Kingdom of Hallownest itself!

----

!!Citizens of Hallownest

!!Historic Figures of Hallownest

!!Bosses of Hallownest

[[Characters/HollowKnightProtagonists Protagonists]] | '''''Hallownest''''' ([[Characters/HollowKnightNPCs Assorted [=NPCs=]]], [[Characters/HollowKnightLoreAndHistory Historic Characters]], [[Characters/HollowKnightBosses Bosses]]) | ''[[Characters/HollowKnightSilksongPharloom Pharloom]]'']]]]-]

[[folder:Ancient Civilization]]
It has been hinted that the Radiance nor the Pale Beings weren't the only rulers in Hallownest, and that there are older creatures who existed there way before. Although their contributions were mostly forgotten, some do still exist in rare lore items, as well as strange objects that were left behind.

* AllThereInTheManual: The ''Hollow Knight'' artbook states that the Black Egg Temple was built from the carapace of an ancient bug, hinted to originate from this old civilization.
* AmbiguousSituation: There is not much lore that can be connected to the ancient civilization, and even those gigantic fossils that you can find [[spoiler:may or may not be from those ancient times. The only evident clue is that these giants aren't connected to the present-day Hallownest era at all.]]
** There is a giant fossil in Kingdom's Edge where one can obtain the Quick Slash. It's dream nail dialogue simply reads "Pure". Implications suggest that it was the counterpart of a Nailsmith, who tried making a Pure Nail but somehow failed and decided to forge the Quick Slash instead.
** The giant fossil where once can obtain the Shade Cloak is also gigantic. It also has a new dialogue when hit with the Awoken Dream Nail, where it acknowledges the Knight as the "Lord of Shades" when the player has obtained the Void Heart.
** There is a six-eyed corpse of a giant bug in the Queen's Gardens, but the player cannot interact with it in any way.
** The Colosseum of Fools is actually the corpse of an ancient bug. Whether or not it is connected to the ancient civilization, it is similar to the giant fossil in Queen's Guardians by virtue of having six eyes.
** The Temple of the Black Egg's exterior resembles a six-horned shell of a giant bug, with the possibility that the entrance is actually a mouth.
** There is a giant fossil of a trilobite hanging upside-down in Deepnest. But it isn't clear if this is a real fossil, or just an imitation of one. When struck with the nail, it produces a metallic sound, and when struck with spells, it is revealed to be shielded using a Seal of Binding.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Judging from the sizes of the remaining fossils found in specific areas, these ancient bugs would tower the current residents if they were still alive, as they are gigantic even in this game's standards.
* BenevolentArchitecture: Various alien-looking idols are found tucked into out-of-the-way nooks and alcoves across the breadth of Hallownest; they refill the player character's soul gauge if hit with a nail, permitting the knight to use its spells or heal without farming enemies.
* {{Cult}}: While there were no evident traces that this civilization worshipped a physical god, the Journal entry for the Void Idol indicates that they worship the liquid void/darkness itself.
* LostTechnology: They created the Soul Totems scattered all around the kingdom, those that can replenish soul, something that the current rulers [[BlackBox find it difficult to understand]].
* NoNameGiven: As a whole, they don't have an official name. The closest collective name that they have in-game is "ancient bugs", from the description of the Void Idol in the Journal. However, the [[DummiedOut game's files do reveal]] the names of some of these giant bugs:
** The Ancient Nailsmith is named after the text file containing its dream nail dialogue.
** Shade Beast and Green Beast's names come from their sprite art files.
* {{Precursors}}: Although Hallownest claims to be the first civilization, there apparently existed a far older society that built the soul totems, produced the arcane egg items, and seem to have been connected to the void in some way. [[spoiler:In the Abyss one can even find a secret area with what appears to be a table and a chair of almost alien design, and the lighthouse's architecture doesn't match that of Hallownest even close.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Grimm Troupe]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_grimm_troupe.png]]

A travelling group of performer bugs, who evoke a theme of circus plays, conducting tents, music and plays to the kingdoms that they visit. Their leader Grimm, states that there is a reason for the troupe to choose "dying kingdoms" as their destinations. However, there is actually a secret held within the entire troupe, with all of them being slaves of something more powerful working behind the scenes.
----

!!Mantis Village / Mantis Traitors

[[caption-width-right:350:Mantis Village]]
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hollow_knight_mantis_traitors.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Mantis Traitors]]

A tribe of warriors who managed to resist the Infestation and fall of Hallownest through sheer might and dedication to their lifestyle. Most of the mantises remained in their village located between the Fungal Wastes and Deepnest. Unfortunately, a group of them were also cast away and branded as traitors for embracing the Infection.

* HoldTheLine: Sometime in the past, the Pale King and the Mantis Lords made a truce. On the Mantis' side, they were to kill anything that stumbles out of the Deepnest - And if you look at the gate to the Deepnest from the Mantis Village, [[AtopAMountainOfCorpses they've been doing this for a loooong time.]]

* PassingTheTorch This is an indication why Grimm wants the Grimmchild to grow – so that he will [[spoiler:have a successor before he dies]]. And the "torch" can be taken literally in the context of the troupe's [[PlayingWithFire symbolism with fire]], since the current Troupe Leader Grimm has [[spoiler:to be killed in the ritual of making the next Grimmchild grow after collecting the flames. Or as a poem in the Grimmkin Master's Journal entry reads, "Burn the father, feed the child."]]

* HeWasRightThereAllAlong: Some of the moss bugs blend well with the green plants and moss of their land. The Mosscreeps and Moss Chargers can hide, pop-up and even burrow to the ground and re-appear.