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This Article Contains Spoilers -
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| “ | ANCIENT ENEMY... | „ |
| ~ The Radiance referring to it. |
| “ | VOID, yours is the power opposed. But yours is potential, eternity potential, force that could deny Time. VOID, harness shall be placed upon you. |
„ |
| ~ A lore tablet in the White Palace describing the Pale King's experiments with Void. |
| “ | In silence your voice, In darkness your form, We higher who see you seeking, Our shells yearn for your embrace. |
„ |
| ~ A prayer from the Ancient Civilization to the Void. |
The Void is the overarching protagonist of the 2017 indie Metroidvania video game Hollow Knight and its 2025 sequel Hollow Knight: Silksong. It is a highly dangerous sentient substance from the Hollow Knight universe, being the complete opposite of the light of the Higher Beings, such as Radiance, the Pale King or Grand Mother Silk. It is currently under the will of a being known as the Lord of Shades.
Appearance[]
The Void appears to be a pitch-black, somewhat viscous liquid. In solid form, the Void tends to form root-like tendrils that extend from its hosts. The liquid Void naturally forms sharp tendrils or spikes to madly attack anything that approaches it. Void Tendrils and masses of Void also have small grey dots on their tentacles, which could be rudimentary eyes. Void-based creatures can come in many shapes and forms, but they're all completely black with bright, white eyes. Within the Void ocean, several serpentine creatures resembling disembodied Void Tendrils can be seen, implying that this may be the most primordial form of the Void.
Characteristics[]
An amorphous substance that seems to be composed of pure darkness, the Void is capable of being a solid, liquid and gas, though it is most abundantly found as a liquid. This allows it to assume almost any form it pleases, as well as to travel throughout the world with ease. This allows the Void to exert its corruptive influence over creatures and even channel itself within them. The Void's presence itself appears harmful to bugs, with victims appearing to have the substance leak out of their eyes and, one some occasions, tendrils of Void extending from their bodies. The Void is also capable of possessing deceased bugs and using their husks as vessels for itself, as indicated by the Void Masses and Summoned Saviour.
As a substance that seems to be in essence, pure darkness, the Void inherently opposes the light and forces related to it, such as the Essence and Soul used by Higher Beings. The Vessels, who were exposed to it in extreme quantities, were rendered nearly completely devoid of a proper mind and will, existing as biological robots that were perfect for sealing the Radiance's Infection away, while the Radiance herself is devoured by it. Thus, the Void is often viewed as the most efficient way to get rid of powerful Higher Beings, something that many of them are quite aware of.
During the events of Act III, the Void is capable of leaching into Grand Mother Silk's threads and entering the bodies of the Haunted and various bugs inhabiting Pharloom, allowing it to corrupt and possess them. Described as consuming the souls of those ensnared, the Void grants its victims incredible stamina, being capable of sustaining many more blows than usual, as well as the ability to manipulate the Void, either by pelting foes with bullets or lashing out with tentacles. Bugs ensnared by the Void tend to take on a darker colouration, emit Void particles and are in general, much more violent. Currently, the only method of dispelling the Void from ensnared bugs other than killing Silk is via physical violence, presumably to clear away the tainted threads. Unfortunately, it seems that many cannot survive such an ordeal, as evidenced by Garmond passing away after Hornet is forced to fight him, though he regains enough clarity to thank her for freeing him. While the Void has always been capable of eroding the minds of bugs exposed to it, its ability to possess bugs may be a recent development from devouring both the Radiance and Godhome.
Despite this, the Void has a number of weaknesses. As it is composed of numerous discordant aspects, the Void tends to be constantly at war with itself and as such, usually cannot act in unison for a singular cause, making it a non-issue to Higher Beings most of the time as it can't escape the Abyss. It tends to be quite weak in this state, merely being able to lash at foes or, at most, call out in unison to bugs. However, this all changes when a being with enough determination implants their will into the Void, allowing its components to act in unison. While the Pale King used this to create constructs capable of serving him, only the Knight has been known to unite the entirety of the Void under their will, allowing them to control its whole to their whims and even destroy Higher Beings such as the Radiance. It seems that the Knight isn't constantly in control of the Void's discordant parts, seeing as the Void initially corrupts Pharloom and attempts to kill Hornet and Lace, but was dispelled after the Knight noticed the two and stopped the Void's other parts from attacking them, rescuing them and calling back the Void.
While capable of absorbing light, the Void is also weak to immense quantities of it or light of supernatural origins. A simple, incredibly bright light like a magnified Lumafly lantern can cause the Void to stay still when not unified, while mysterious flowers known as Everblooms are capable of dispelling the Void entirely. However, seeing as the Void is able to cause Hornet's Everbloom to deplete itself, it seems likely that with time, even the Void can adapt to resist the powers of these flowers. Void creatures with even a bit of will can also be infected, as evidenced by the Hollow Knight and Broken Vessel, displaying that its dominance over the light is not truly absolute.
The Void apparently finds it impossible to acquire physical form without Soul, the vital energy that runs through the bodies of the bugs. As Hornet's Hunter's Journal explains for Wingmould, a tortuous mixture of Soul and Void that dwells within the shell was required for the Void to take such a form. This could explain why vessels such as the Knight are capable of controlling the Void to such a degree as thanks to their Pale Being heritage, they would be capable of producing infinite amounts of Soul if not for the Void's corruption. Seeing as silk is woven from Soul, this seems to explain how the Void was able to so easily consume Grand Mother Silk and possess Lace, a being entirely made of these threads, as well as seep through these threads to the rest of Pharloom.
Abilities aside, the Void seems to create the ideal conditions for various alien and bizarre organisms to live in. The Shadow Creepers are a very common sight in the Abyss, being pitch black bugs that, while capable of maturing and growing into Shadow Chargers in Pharloom, have never been seen requiring food, water or rest, with Hornet wondering whether they're truly related to regular bugs. The Gargant Glooms are another species of bug endemic to Pharloom's Abyss, which are capable of spraying the Void from their faces and summoning bizarre creatures known as Gloomsacs. Seeing as these creatures have no Dream Nail or Needolin dialogue, hallmarks of Void-based creatures, and also have anatomies impossible for normal bugs, it's possible that they manifest from the Void itself. Lifeblood (or as it's called in Pharloom, Plasmium), a strange, rejuvenating, but addictive and mutative substance that appears to be connected to some sort of Higher Being, also thrives in the presence of Void, with said Higher Being making its home in Hallownest's Abyss and the Plasmium overtaking the Wormways during Act III.
Biography[]
Background[]
The Void is a primordial substance that existed long ago in the depths of the world, known as the Abyss. In ancient times, prior to the founding of Hallownest, it appears to have been revered by an ancient civilisation who created Arcane Eggs, Soul Totems, and Void Idols using this dark substance. They also appear to have been present in Pharloom, seeing as the Abyss of that region has architecture very similar to Hallownest's Abyss and a single Arcane Egg can be found there. Eventually, these bugs went extinct, with the lore tablets in Pharloom's Abyss implying they willingly submitted to the Void's corruption in an attempt to reach enlightenment. While the Radiance seems to have had a confrontation with the Void at some point in the past, leading her to view it as a personal enemy, most mortal bugs seem unaware of the Void's existence, sans the Snail Shamans and the masters of Steelhearts, who are even capable of channeling it.
When the Pale King arrived and established his kingdom, the Void was rediscovered. The King used the Void to craft guardians such as the Kingsmoulds and Wingmoulds, mindless constructs that served Hallownest faithfully, as well as a creature known as the Collector, whom he gave a mind and appears to have tasked with preserving Hallownest's creatures.
Later, seeing in it the potential to bind the Radiance and her Infection, the Pale King sought to harness its power. With the White Lady, he conceived offspring whose eggs were cast into the Abyss, where the Void seeped into them. This process stripped their offspring of will and emotion, creating the Vessels, beings intended to serve as perfect containers for the Radiance. The Pale King would get the Vessels to ascend to the top of their birthplace, allowing those either not strong or pure enough to fall to their deaths. Eventually, he chose the Hollow Knight as his vessel of choice. In shame for his act of mass infanticide, the Pale King would seal the Vessels and the Abyss away, tasking a Royal Retainer with guarding a lighthouse that kept the sea of Void in the Abyss suppressed.
The Pale King would train and nourish the Hollow Knight into their full-grown state, teaching them the art of the nail likely so that they could defeat the Radiance in the Dream Realm and seal her away. Unfortunately, through this training he would begin to grow fond of the Hollow Knight, instilling the idea of parental love within them. While the Hollow Knight would manage to seal the Radiance away for a while, this idea instilled would make them an imperfect Vessel that allowed her to escape and unleash the Infection once more, causing Hallownest to completely collapse.
Meanwhile in Pharloom, it appears that despite the area's general lack of knowledge on the Void, the Weavers still studied it extensively, probably to investigate a use for it to seal away their oppressive creator, Grand Mother Silk. They appear to have set up a Weavenest in the Abyss to study the Void and even constructed a prototype for a tool that could seal her away called the Soul Snare. The Weavers don't appear to have progressed much in their Void-related technology, most likely thanks to their lack of Soul-related knowledge preventing them from finishing the Soul Snare.
Hollow Knight[]
At some point in the past, the Void sea managed to call out to the Royal Retainer within the lighthouse, causing them to turn it off. As such, the Void runs rampant in the Abyss, with Void creatures such as the Siblings and Void Tendrils showing their hostility towards the Knight. It's not until they come to terms with the Void inside themself that the Kingsoul charm in their possession transforms into the Void Heart, signifying the Knight's acceptance of the Void within themself. With this they become the new ruler of the Void, or as one bug corpse puts it, Lord of Shades, making all Void entities (sans the Collector and White Palace constructs) passive to the Knight.
During the Dream No More ending, the Siblings all arise from the Abyss while the Void itself billows forth to devour the Radiance, with the Hollow Knight's shade ripping her face open, allowing the Knight in their Lord of Shades form to tear her to pieces and the Void to drag her away.
During the Embrace the Void ending, the Knight ends up in a memory where they meet all of their siblings shortly before Absolute Radiance's battle. When the Radiance calls from above, the Void roars in response and surges forth to attack her. The Siblings and the Hollow Knight's shade do not appear in this ending. Instead, when the Knight defeats the Radiance they enter the Void and re-emerge as a colossal Void creature, tearing the Radiance apart with their bare hands. Void drips from the clouds of Godhome as this Void creature completely overtakes the realm, while in the real world the Godseeker begins to leak out Void.
While she normally gets completely enveloped, if the Knight had handed her a Delicate Flower beforehand it completely absorbs the Void, causing her and the Void to vanish, leaving nothing but a black blemish on the Flower's petals. While it's quite clear that a version of Embrace the Void is the canon ending, as evidenced by the lack of the Hollow Knight's shade and a brief cameo of the Void Creature in Silksong, which version of the ending is canon is still up for debate.
Hollow Knight: Silksong[]
Act II: Citadel of Song[]
Once Hornet completes several important quests (such as rescuing Sherma and attending the funeral of Shakra's mentor) and defeats Lace for the second time, she can talk to the Caretaker, whom she expresses her concern of becoming a hegemonic deity upon usurping Silk to. He informs her of the Soul Snare trap the Weavers were prototyping that, with the right souls, could be completed, allowing SIlk to be saved away safely. Hornet is thus tasked to find the Soul Snare's prototype in Weavenest Atla, and retrieve the Maiden, Hermit and Seeker Souls from the Chapel Maid, Bell Hermit, and a corpse near the Stilkin Village respectively. Once done, Hornet will return to the Caretaker, who assembles the Soul Snare and readies it for use.
Hornet defeats Silk and activates the Snare with her Needolin, sucking her in and summoning the Void. Silk attempts to drag Hornet down with her but has her arm sliced off by Lace, causing the both of them to be dragged into the Abyss while the whole Cradle area collapses.
Act III: Abyss[]
After Grand Mother Silk and Lace are dragged to the Abyss, the former forms a cocoon of silk around her daughter in an attempt to protect her from the Void. This, however, causes it to seep into her silk, corrupting much of Pharloom's silk-laden environment and populace with the Void, causing drastic shifts in landscape and driving many creatures mad. Hornet searches for a way to stop this and stumbles into the Ruined Chapel, where she finds the Caretaker, Bell Hermit and Chapel Maid, all of whom reveal themselves to be Snail Shamans in disguise. They explain to Hornet that they called upon the Void as it was the only force capable of permanently sealing away Grand Mother Silk's power, but as this plan has clearly gone south they offer their help in stopping the Void. Receiving the Elegy of the Deep, Hornet must venture to the graves of several powerful beings that once populated Pharloom, being Skarrsinger Karmelita, Crust King Khann, Nyleth and the Clover Dancers, playing the Elegy to fight them as they were in their glory days and receive three of their hearts.
Once these hearts are acquired, Hornet passes them to the Shamans, who help her to access memories of her past. Hornet acquires an Everbloom, a flower incredibly similar to the Delicate Flower, and awakens with the power to face the Void. She enters the Abyss once more and uses the Everbloom to dive her way down to Silk's cocoon, where she confronts a Void-corrupted Lace, known as Lost Lace. Hornet beats the Void corruption out of Lace and as the Void closes in, Silk offers the last of her strength to Hornet so she can escape with her daughter.
Hornet attempts to Silk Soar out of the Void but runs out of silk, with the Everbloom running out of power and vanishing. Just before the Void's tendrils can claim her and Lace, the Knight, as the Lord of Shades, arrives and saves the duo, bringing them to safety with the rest of the Shades. With Silk finally dead, her threads vanish from Pharloom while the Void is called back, allowing this dying kingdom to finally begin restoring itself.
Spawns[]
Void Tendrils[]
The most primal forms of the Void, Void Tendrils are serrated tentacles that form from the Abyss to lash out at passer-bys. They seem to be, in fact, separate physical entities from the Void lakes themselves, appearing as bizarre, worm-like creatures that swim within it. The mould within the Ancient Basin and the runes in Weavenest Absolom seem to suggest that Void Tendrils can be formed artificially, setting up a precursor for Void being moulded into different objects.
Vessels[]
Children of the Pale King and the White Lady, born in the Abyss filled with Void inside their eggs. They were created by their parents in the desperate goal to created a completely hollow creature that'd be able to seal away The Radiance and her Infection. Only one, the Hollow Knight, was chosen for their might, while the rest of the Vessels were discarded into the Birthplace. While the Pale King and White Lady seemingly assumed all the Vessels were hollow, it appears that none of them were, with the Knight in particular possessing an incredibly strong will. Upon death they release a Shade, which contains the embodiment of who they were while alive.
The Knight[]
The main protagonist of Hollow Knight, the Knight is a vessel that escaped the Abyss sometime ago and left Hallownest, eventually returning after sensing the Radiance's attempted escape from the Hollow Knight. They manage to unite the Void under their power and defeat the Radiance with it, becoming ruler of the Void as the Lord of Shades. They currently reside within in the sea of Void in the Abyss alongside their siblings.
Broken Vessel[]
A vessel found in the Ancient Basin, the Broken Vessel fractured their shell and died sometime ago, allowing the Infection to possess their husk and turn them hostile. Their spirit can be fought within the Dream Realm as the Lost Kin, wherein upon defeat they thank the Knight silently for letting them pass on. Their Shade is probably in the sea of Void in the Abyss alongside their siblings.
The Hollow Knight[]
The Hollow Knight was the chosen Vessel to seal the Radiance away, being raised to be much more powerful and large than their kin. Their bond with the Pale King ultimately caused them to become impure, causing the failure of the Radiance's seal and letting her possess them. The Hollow Knight is killed in most endings but survives in the two Embrace the Void endings, which of their fates is truly canon is still unknown.
The Collector[]
The Collector is a Void creature resembling an oversized armorless Kingsmould. They're the only Void entity with Dream Nail dialogue, displaying an obsession with collecting and preserving creatures, specially Grubs, which led them to kidnap and stash away all of the Grubfather's children. The Knight eventually finds and kills them in the Tower of Love, claiming their map to rescue all of the grubs.
Kingsmoulds[]
Kingsmoulds are Void entities clad in white armour that guard the White Palace. They wield claw-like swords that they can slash with or use like boomerangs. The White Palace, which was transported to the Dream Realm, was sealed within the mind of a Kingsmould, whose corpse can be found in the Ancient Basin. Civilians were apparently aware of their existence, as evidenced by Sheo and Nailsmith's sculptures of them.
Wingsmoulds[]
Wingsmoulds are fly-like constructs composed of a Void core and a fly-like armour shell. They are invulnerable, breaking open when hit but quickly reforming. Their purpose is rather ambiguous as they do nothing but hover in place, but they do serve as useful platforms to nail-jump off of.
Summoned Saviour[]
A mass of old masks swollen and animated by Void summoned by Sula in an attempt to create a champion that could protect them for their masters after Sula's betrayal. As they failed to control it, Hornet was forced to kill it.
Possessed victims[]
Lost Lace[]
Tba...
The Haunted[]
After Grand Mother Silk was transported into the Abyss, the Void was capable of soaking her silk threads and possess the bugs under her control. This phenomenon became known as Black-Threading.
Void Masses[]
Knots of the husks of dead bugs bound tightly by Black-Threads. They stick to walls and shoot Void projectiles at foes, lashing out at enemies that come too close with tentacles. Their composition varies on locale and they do not respawn. There are 47 Void Masses in total.
Lost Garmond[]
Tba...
Moss Mothers[]
Tba...
Savage Beastflies[]
Tba...
Skull Tyrant[]
Tba...
Moorwing[]
Tba...
Disgraced Chef Lugoli[]
Tba...
Trivia[]
- Thanks to its discordant nature despite being a singular entity, the Void can technically classify as both an individual and species. Since it has been formed into numerous constructs, however, it is currently classified as a species for the sake of simplicity.
- The ambiences for both of the Abysses are both heavily slowed down versions of Hollow Knight's menu theme, implying that the menu theme may be both the Void's theme in general.
- According to the Radiance's Dream Nail dialogues, "ANCIENT ENEMY...I DO NOT FEAR YOU...", the Void may have somehow faced her in the ancient past. Despite claiming to not fear the fear the Void, in three of the Hollow Knight's endings (including the canon one), the Void was the very force that killed her in the end and in all three endings she is seen with her eyes open as if she were terrified.
- According to Hornet to Shakra in Act 3 of Silksong, the bugs possessed by the Void were going to Bellhart upon sensing the Soul of the inhabitants, this implies that the Void tends to consume Soul, which as seen in Hollow Knight, is a whitish liquid that is the vital essence of the bugs, normal insects seem to die and become simple puppets of the Void, as seen with Lost Garmon, consuming the Soul, also indicated since in their liquid state, both are opposite colors, black and white.
- This also indicates how Grand Mother Silk survived for so long in the Abyss, and resisted its influence, since the Higher Beings contain a lot of Soul, especially the Pale Beings (The Pale King, the White Lady and Grand Mother Silk) who can regenerate it apparently without limits, as seen in the Hollow Knight Amulet called Kingsoul, making them very resistant to the Void, being feasible that the Soul produced by the Pale Beings is impossible to consume by the Void, since the Wingsmould for example, had a mixture of Soul and Void, however, the Void did not consume the Soul, it would also explain why Lace did not die when she was defeated as Lost Lace, since being created with Grand Mother Silk's silk, she possessed a greater Soul than normal bugs.
- Both of Hollow Knight's main, antagonistic Higher Beings (the Radiance and Grand Mother Silk) died at the hands of the Void: Radiance died at the hands of the Void itself, while Grand Mother Silk chose to sacrifice her power to Hornet to save Lace from dying at the hands of the Void.
- Additionally, it is possible that the Pale King’s death is tied to the Void as well, suggested by the dark particles that appear in his throne room, which otherwise only manifest in areas such as the Abyss, Ancient Basin, and the path leading to the City of Tears. However, this is currently unconfirmed.
- As the Void is suggested to be related to regrets, as implied by the Shade's entry in the Hunter's Journal and Confessor Jiji, the Void in the Pale King's room may be indicative of his deep shame over what he did, hence causing him to literally die of regret after said regret turned into Void and killed him.
- Additionally, it is possible that the Pale King’s death is tied to the Void as well, suggested by the dark particles that appear in his throne room, which otherwise only manifest in areas such as the Abyss, Ancient Basin, and the path leading to the City of Tears. However, this is currently unconfirmed.
External Link[]
- The Void on the Hollow Knight Wiki.
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 Villains
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The Void Hallownest The Infected Grimm Troupe Other Pharloom The Citadel Caste and its associates Silk Beings Others | ||