White Lady

"These bindings about me, I've chosen to erect. There is some shame I feel from my own part in the deed, and this method guarantees it cease."

- White Lady

The White Lady is an NPC in Hollow Knight. She gifts one half of the Kingsoul to the Knight in the Queen's Gardens.

Lore The White Lady is a root higher being who used to be the Queen of Hallownest and the wife of the Pale King. During Hallownest’s prime, the Queen's Gardens were her well-guarded retreat. This area used to belong to the Mosskin, but the White Lady claimed it to create her gardens.

The White Lady is the mother of the Vessels. Out of shame for her part in their creation, she bound herself in the Queen's Gardens to stop herself from having more offspring. Dryya, one of the Five Great Knights, stood guard over her, although Dryya died after defeating numerous Mantis Traitors. The White Lady is not aware of her death.

Over time, the White Lady's vision worsened and she could not see much anymore. She did sense within her roots the weakening of the Hollow Knight, prompting her to await a visit from a Vessel to give them her part of the Kingsoul.

In-game events The White Lady is found in the northwest part of the Queen's Gardens inside a cocoon-like dwelling. Outside this structure is the corpse of Dryya.

When the Knight first meets her, she gifts her half of the Kingsoul to them. She then asks the Knight to defeat the Hollow Knight and take their place in sealing the Radiance.

After the Knight has obtained the completed Kingsoul, she comments on their strength and dedication, wondering if they could be more than simply a Vessel. She tells the Knight to visit their birthplace in the Abyss to find out what is at the heart of the Kingsoul.

The White Lady can be offered a Delicate Flower but she refuses it, explaining that the flower originates from outside Hallownest and holds rare power.

She makes an appearance in Godhome in the Pantheon of Hallownest, with the Godseeker commenting on her lore and backstory. In this form the White Lady seems to be unbound and without constraints. The Godseeker mentions that the White Lady hides from their attunement, and wonders if she diminishes herself by choice.

Location The White Lady can be found in the northwest part of the Queen's Gardens. This requires defeating the Traitor Lord first.

Trivia
 * For the White Lady's dialogue where she talks about Hornet, the game still checks whether the King's Brand has been acquired before this dialogue is triggered, even though it is not possible to reach the White Lady without it.
 * The White Lady is one of the few NPCs who is able to detect when they are being Dream Nailed.
 * When using any Spell on the White Lady, a Seal appears over her.
 * In an early version of the game, the Gruz Mother fight area contained three statues: one showing the Pale King, the second showing the White Lady, and the third, a broken one, potentially representing the Hollow Knight. These statues can also be seen in the top left corner of one of the early maps.
 * A similar concept sketch of the White Lady was shown in an exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image.
 * A sketch of the White Lady's cocoon depicts it with her head on the front. The in-game cocoon still has this same design including her roots, except the White Lady's face was replaced by the entrance.

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