Herrah

"Hers is a tale of tragic exchange. Cost her and her people greatly, though I suspect she bore no regret in making it."

- Midwife

Herrah the Beast is an NPC in Hollow Knight. She is one of the Dreamers and is involved in the Knight's quest to destroy the Infection.

Lore Herrah was the queen of the spider tribe of Deepnest and is the mother of Hornet. Her partner was part of the honoured caste, while Herrah herself is only a common beast. At a certain point, her partner died, leaving Herrah without an heir.

The spider tribe and Herrah herself never accepted the Pale King and his rule. When the Infection first appeared, the Pale King asked Herrah to become a Dreamer to seal the entrance to the Black Egg in the Temple of the Black Egg. She only agreed if the Pale King would have a child with her, which ended up being Hornet. After Hornet was born, Herrah and Hornet were permitted little time together as Herrah went into an eternal sleep.

In-game events Herrah appears as a projection together with the other Dreamers in both Greenpath and the Resting Grounds. While Lurien the Watcher wants their Seals to remain and Monomon the Teacher wants their Seals to break, Herrah does not voice her opinion on this. She and the other Dreamers attempt to lock the Knight in the Dream Realm after the Resting Grounds encounter.

Once the Knight reaches her physical body in the Beast's Den, her mind can be entered by using the Dream Nail. She can then be attacked in her Dream after which Focus can be used to break her Seal. Her physical body will have disappeared when the Knight wakes up. Hornet will appear at Herrah's former resting place if she was fought in Kingdom's Edge before Herrah's death.

Location
Herrah's physical body is located in Beast's Den in Deepnest.

Trivia

 * Early in development, Herrah was called Hegemol. This name was reused for one of the Five Great Knights.
 * Herrah has several unused lines of dialogue which can still be found in the game's files.
 * When trying to attack Herrah's physical body in Beast's Den, a Seal appears over her body.