Pale King

"The old King of Hallownest... he must have been desperate to save his crumbling little world. The sacrifices he imposed on others... all for nothing."

- The Hunter

The Pale King is an NPC in Hollow Knight. He plays a major role in the history of Hallownest.

Lore The Pale King is a higher being who used to be the monarch of Hallownest, mate to the White Lady, and ruler of the White Palace.

He is an ancient Wyrm who burrowed through mountains and across the wasteland until finally stopping in Kingdom's Edge. Once there, the Wyrm shed its shell and transformed into the Pale King. The pale, broken egg found within the Cast-Off Shell hints at this rebirth. Consequently, the Pale King is often still referred to as "Wyrm", as this was his former body. He reduced his form in order to match the bugs of Hallownest.

The Kingdom of Hallownest
After his transformation, the Pale King expanded the minds of several species of bugs in Hallownest, granting them sapience. The Pale King wanted these bugs to devote themselves to him, and in return, he promised them that the Kingdom of Hallownest would last eternally.

The Pale King was often depicted as an imposing, gleaming figure with a fiercely horned crown. He was bright and radiant in visage, with the Delicate Flower's pure aura being no match for his light.

Although he was an elusive, reclusive figure who was rarely seen outside his Palace, the Pale King was deified by his citizens. The bugs of Hallownest believed that he created their world and everything in it. Worship was offered through King's Idols. Even the moth tribe turned their backs on their creator, the Radiance, and started worshipping the Pale King instead. The Pale King's ability of foresight, the ability to see the future to some extent, caused the mushrooms of Fungal Wastes to accept his rule as well.

He was responsible for much of the architecture found throughout Hallownest, most of it bearing a Hallownest Seal. He also built the stagways and the trams.

The Infection
When the Radiance tried to be remembered again after being almost entirely forgotten, she ended up causing the Infection. To combat this, the Pale King came up with the idea to use a Vessel to seal her away. These Vessels are the children of him and the White Lady, born in the Abyss with Void inside of them.

Three bugs were asked to become Dreamers to form seals on the Temple of the Black Egg which would contain this Vessel. One of them, Herrah, only accepted his proposal if the Pale King had a dalliance (sexual relationship) with her which would result in a child; this child ended up being Hornet.

Nevertheless, the chosen Vessel, the Hollow Knight, was unable to contain the infection for eternity due to their purity being misjudged. The Pale King raised the Hollow Knight and formed a bond with them, which may have resulted in their "tarnishing".

At a certain point, after the Infection reappeared, the Pale King and White Palace disappeared.

In-game events White Palace can be accessed in the dream realm after the Awoken Dream Nail is used on the corpse of a Kingsmould in the Palace Grounds. The Pale King’s corpse can be found on his throne in the throne room. When his corpse is struck, it falls off the throne and his half of the Kingsoul drops on the ground.

The Pale King also appears in a memory of the Knight. He can be seen walking out of the Abyss together with the Hollow Knight, after which he seals the door.

In the Pantheon of Hallownest, the Pale King's throne room appears after Nightmare King Grimm and before Pure Vessel. The Godseeker observes that although the King was strong, he was completely erased.

Trivia

 * The horns atop the King's crown look similar to the mouth of the Wyrm in Kingdom's Edge.
 * The Pale King may have been the previous owner of the Monarch Wings. In White Defender's background, the Pale King seems to have wings, which look similar to the Monarch Wings.
 * The Monarch Wings are also found in the Ancient Basin, the same area where the White Palace used to reside.
 * Upon taking the half of the Kingsoul in the White Palace and returning, the Pale King's husk can no longer be found.
 * 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, could be representing the Hollow Knight. These statues can also be seen in the top left corner of one of the early maps.

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