Every character in Hollow Knight is a bug. Hallownest is a fallen kingdom of insects, split into rival tribes.
Hollow Knight is a game about bugs. Per the wiki, every named character, from the Knight to the 
Hornet who hunts you, is an insect of the fallen kingdom of Hallownest.
According to the wiki, Hallownest was once a thriving civilization of bugs given thought and speech by the Pale King. They split into tribes, built cities, and then fell to the 
Infection that turned most of them into hostile enemies.
The wiki notes that the surviving bugs are a strange mix: spiders, mantises, bees, moths, beetles, and stranger things. In practice, half the joy of the game is meeting each species and learning what it once was.
This guide covers the kingdom of bugs, the major tribes, the real-life insects the designs echo, and the notable bugs you meet along the way.
A kingdom of bugs, Hallownest, where every character is an insect.
Mantises, spiders, bees, and moths each form their own clan.
Real insects inspire many bugs, like the dung beetle Dung Defender.
The Pale King gave the bugs sapience before the kingdom fell.Per the wiki, Hallownest was a kingdom of insects raised up by the Pale King, a wyrm who took bug form and gave the creatures of the cavern minds of their own.
According to the wiki, those bugs built the City of Tears, the temples, and the trade routes you now explore as ruins. The town of 
Dirtmouth above the kingdom is where the last few survivors linger.
The wiki specifies that the bugs were never one people. They kept their tribal identities, and those old divisions still shape who helps you and who attacks. In actual play, the Infection is what finally broke the kingdom apart.
Per the wiki, several distinct tribes once shared Hallownest. Each kept its own home, customs, and relationship to the crown.
| Tribe | Bug | Home |
|---|---|---|
| Mantis Tribe | Mantises | Mantis Village |
 Beast (spiders) | Spiders | Deepnest |
 The Hive | Bees | The Hive |
 Moth Tribe | Moths | Hallownest's past |
 Lesser bugs | Flies, crawlids | Across the ruins |
According to the wiki, the Mantis Tribe stayed proud and free of the Infection, while the spiders of Deepnest kept to their dark warren far below.
The wiki notes that the bees of the Hive guarded their own queen, and the ancient Moth Tribe once worshipped the Radiance. In real runs, each tribe area feels like a separate little world.
Many Hollow Knight creatures echo real insects. The wiki and the designs themselves make several of these clear, even where the names are invented.
| Character | Real bug |
|---|---|
| Dung Defender | Dung beetle |
 Quirrel | Pill bug |
 Grimm | Moth |
| Hornet | Part spider |
| Vengefly | Fly |
According to the wiki, the Dung Defender even fights with balls of dung, exactly like the beetle he is based on. In practice, spotting the real insect behind each design is a running game for fans.
Per the wiki, Hornet is the daughter of Herrah the Beast, a spider, and the Pale King. That mixed heritage is why she fights with a needle and thread rather than a plain nail.
Per the wiki, a handful of bugs stand out as the faces of Hallownest. They guide, hinder, or simply keep you company on the way down.
A calm, traveling pill bug who keeps appearing at quiet landmarks. The needle-wielding guardian who tests you more than once. The moth-like ringmaster of a traveling troupe of nightmare bugs.
A Deepnest horror that mimics other bugs to lure prey. The lone holdout in Dirtmouth, too fond of home to leave.According to the wiki, you can read more on each in the characters roster. In actual play, these bugs give the silent Knight's journey its heart.
The bugs of Hallownest tie into the characters, the bosses, and the tribes they belong to. These spokes pick up the connected threads.
Game data and screenshots adapted from hollowknight.fandom.com, used under CC BY-SA 3.0. Original content remains the property of the wiki contributors and Team Cherry.