Hollow Knight - Characters
The cast of Hallownest: the Knight and the kingdom's surviving protectors, the three Dreamers who hold the seal, the Pale King's court and its remnants, and the supernatural powers behind the Infection. Most are optional to meet but each one carries part of the history that explains why the kingdom...
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of 27 entries
· updated 2026-09-15
| Name | Description | Role | Faction | Abilities | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Knight | A small, silent, masked Vessel who returns to Hallownest from the wasteland above and descends without explanation for its own purpose. | Protagonist | Vessels of the Pale King | Nail combat and Nail Arts Focus healing and the three spells Dream Nail Mothwing Cloak, Mantis Claw, Monarch Wings, Crystal Heart, Shade Cloak Charm loadouts | Playable character from the start of the game |
| Hornet | The daughter of the Pale King and Herrah the Beast, and the only character who tests the Knight rather than simply fighting it. | Protector and Rival | Hallownest's guardians | Needle and thread combat Silk-based mobility and grappling Exceptional speed and reach | Fought in Greenpath, Kingdom's Edge and Godhome |
| Elderbug | The old bug who waits by the bench in Dirtmouth and narrates the state of the town as it slowly repopulates. | Town Elder | Dirtmouth | Story exposition about the fall of Hallownest Commentary on Dirtmouth's returning residents | Met in Dirtmouth at the start of the game |
| Quirrel | A cheerful explorer in a wide-brimmed hat who reappears across Hallownest, from the Lake of Unn to the Teacher's Archive and finally the Blue Lake. | Wandering Scholar | Monomon's apprentice | Nail combat as a temporary ally in the Uumuu fight Lore about the Dreamers and the Archives | Met repeatedly across the map; final scene at the Blue Lake |
| Zote the Mighty | A self-proclaimed knight with a nail he cannot lift, found tied up in Greenpath and then in Dirtmouth, where his rambling speeches are a running joke. | Comic Braggart | None | Grey Prince Zote boss fight Endless monologues The Life Ender nail | Rescued in Greenpath; later found in Dirtmouth |
| Cornifer | The wandering mapmaker whose humming leads the player to him in nearly every zone. | Cartographer | Dirtmouth traders | Sells zone maps for Geo Humming that reveals his position | Found in each zone before the map for it is bought |
| Iselda | Cornifer's wife, who runs the map shop in Dirtmouth once he settles there. | Map Shop Keeper | Dirtmouth traders | Sells pins, markers and the Quill Sells maps for zones Cornifer has already charted | Dirtmouth shop after Cornifer returns |
| Sly | The old shopkeeper in Dirtmouth, a former Great Nailsage who sells basic charms, the Lumafly Lantern, mask and vessel fragments and the Simple Key. | Merchant | Dirtmouth traders | Shop stock including the Lumafly Lantern and Simple Key Great Nailsage Sly boss fight in Godhome | Dirtmouth shop, reached after finding the shop key |
| Salubra | A many-armed shopkeeper in the Forgotten Crossroads who sells the largest single collection of charms in the game, plus the charm notches that expand the equip budget. | Charm Merchant | Dirtmouth traders | Sells charms and charm notches Dialogue that expands with the charm count | Shop in the Forgotten Crossroads |
| Lemm | The grumpy relic collector in the City of Tears who buys Wanderer's Journals, Hallownest Seals, King's Idols and Arcane Eggs. | Relic Dealer | City of Tears | Buys relics for Geo Lore commentary on each relic type | Shop in the City of Tears |
| Cloth | A timid warrior who keeps appearing in the zones the player is about to fight through, and who can be recruited as a summon for the Traitor Lord fight. | Wandering Warrior | None | Assists in the Traitor Lord fight Nail combat as a summon | Met in the Fungal Wastes, Deepnest and the Queen's Gardens |
| Tiso | A boastful fighter in a ridged helm who talks up his Colosseum ambitions and then quietly dies off screen in the Trial of the Fool. | Colosseum Challenger | Colosseum of Fools | Colosseum dialogue and foreshadowing | Met in Dirtmouth and the Colosseum of Fools |
| Bretta | A shy bug found hiding in the Fungal Wastes who returns to Dirtmouth and becomes Zote's devoted admirer. | Admirer | Dirtmouth | Dream sequence and optional encounter Progressive dialogue in Dirtmouth | Rescued in the Fungal Wastes, then found in Dirtmouth |
| Myla | A cheerful miner singing about crystals in the Crossroads, who slowly succumbs to the Infection as the player buys her maps and passes through. | Miner | Forgotten Crossroads | Sells early map information Story progression into an infected enemy | Mining tunnel in the Forgotten Crossroads |
| Marissa | The spirit of a singer still performing in the Pleasure House in the City of Tears. | Ghost Singer | Pleasure House | The Pleasure House song Dream Nail dialogue | Pleasure House in the City of Tears |
| Mask Maker | The ghost of the bug who carved the masks of Hallownest, found in the Resting Grounds. | Artisan Spirit | Hallownest's dead | Lore about Vessels and masks Dream Nail dialogue | Resting Grounds, in the crypt |
| Midwife | A spider caretaker in Deepnest who speaks warmly about Herrah and the old kingdom while surrounded by the remains of her charges. | Deepnest Resident | Deepnest | Lore about Herrah and Deepnest Dream Nail dialogue | Deepnest, near the Beast's Den |
| Herrah the Beast | The spider queen of Deepnest and Hornet's mother, who agreed to become a Dreamer and sleep forever in exchange for a daughter. | Dreamer | The Dreamers | Dreamer seal over Deepnest Spider court and guardians | Sealed in the Beast's Den in Deepnest |
| Lurien the Watcher | The City of Tears' spymaster, who watches the kingdom from the top of Watcher's Spire and sealed himself there as one of the three Dreamers. | Dreamer | The Dreamers | Dreamer seal over the City of Tears Watcher Knights as guardians | Sealed at the top of Watcher's Spire |
| Monomon the Teacher | The scholar of the Teacher's Archives in Fog Canyon, who took on the Dreamer's burden to keep the Infection contained and left Quirrel as her apprentice and memory. | Dreamer | The Dreamers | Dreamer seal over Fog Canyon The Archives' records of the Infection | Sealed in the Teacher's Archives |
| The Pale King | The Wyrm who built Hallownest and fathered the Vessels as a way to contain the Radiance, then vanished into his palace when the plan failed. | Former Ruler | Hallownest's court | Creator of the Vessels The Kingsoul and the palace's defences | The White Palace and the memory sequences |
| The White Lady | The Pale King's queen, bound in the Queen's Gardens as the kingdom's root, and the mother of the Vessels. | Queen and Root | Hallownest's court | Grants half of the Kingsoul Lore about the Vessels | Bound in the Queen's Gardens |
| The Radiance | The ancient light the moths once worshipped, forgotten and then furious, whose dreams are the Infection that hollowed out Hallownest. | Antagonist | The Infection | The Infection and its spread through dreams Light-based attacks in its boss fights Absolute Radiance form in Godhome | Encountered inside the Black Egg and at the end of the Pantheon of Hallownest |
| Grimm | The crimson ringmaster who arrives with the Nightmare Lantern and sets the Grimmchild quest in motion. | Troupe Master | The Grimm Troupe | Grimm and Nightmare King Grimm fights The Grimmchild charm line | Summoned by lighting the Nightmare Lantern in the Howling Cliffs |
| The Seer | The last of the moth tribe, who gives the Knight the Dream Nail and explains Essence, the Dream Warriors and the tribe's ancient worship of the Radiance. | Dream Guide | The Moth Tribe | Grants the Dream Nail Grants Dream Wielder after enough Essence Lore on the moth tribe | Resting Grounds |
| Divine | The Leg Eater who accompanies the troupe and buys the Knight's Fragile charms, then sells them back upgraded into their Unbreakable forms at a steep price. | Merchant | The Grimm Troupe | Upgrades Fragile charms to Unbreakable versions Trades in Leg Eater currency | Found with the Grimm Troupe in Dirtmouth |
| The Godseeker | The masked seeker who drags the Knight into Godhome and sets the pantheons as a test of the kingdom's strongest fighters. | Realm Keeper | The Godseekers | Access to Godhome and the Pantheons Hall of Gods boss gallery | Encountered through the Godmaster shrine in the Resting Grounds |
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