Is Hollow Knight a woman?
No, Hollow Knight is not a woman. As one of the enigmatic Vessels crafted to contain the Infection plaguing the bug-filled kingdom of Hallownest, Hollow Knight lacks any defined biological sex or gender identity. But what exactly does that mean in practice? As a long-time Hollow Knight fan and gaming enthusiast, I‘m digging into the lore around everyone‘s favorite genderless knight.
The Nature of the Vessels – Born Without Gender
According to Team Cherry developer interviews, the Vessels like Hollow Knight and the player-character Knight were crafted by the Pale King through arcane "Void" magic to act as pure, hollow containers for the dangerous Infection spread by the Radiance. The Pale King poured his power into the Abyss to create these Vessels with the singular purpose of containing the Infection by virtue of their emptiness.
This magically-induced hollowness comes from their nature as creatures of the Void – an ancient force that precedes even the godlike Higher Beings of Hallownest. This strange dark magic severs any connection between Vessels and typical concepts like dreams, emotions, ego – and even intrinsic qualities like biological sex or gender.
The Vessels as Blank Slates
In bleak clinical terms, the Vessels were created intentionally without any gender or sexual characteristics that might distract from their core purpose. Their flawless porcelain shells and slender physique give no indication of masculinity or femininity. Unlike typical bugs of Hallownest, the Vessels completely lack reproductive organs.
As pure Void constructs, they are less true "organisms" and more akin to magical golems or animate statues – more tool than being. This makes them the perfect neutral vessels to contain the Radiance‘s dangerous dreams.
Hornet as the Gendered Exception
Hornet, the fierce red-cloaked protector of Hallownest‘s ruins, serves as the stark counterpoint to the genderless Vessels. As the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah the Beast, Hornet was conceived in typical biological fashion rather than Void sorcery.
The Product of a Bargain
As revealed in Hidden Dreams, Herrah agreed to become one of the three Dreamers sealing the Hollow Knight on the condition that the Pale King sire a child with her. As Half-Higher Being/half-spider, Hornet is thus the "Gendered Child" referred to in Hallownest‘s lore – evidently the only one of the Pale King‘s scions to have a defined sex and associated feminine identity.
| Character | Gender/Sex | Origin |
|---|---|---|
| The Knight | Genderless | Void constructs |
| Hollow Knight | Genderless | Void constructs |
| Hornet | Female/Sexed | Natural birth |
The contrast highlights how Hornet stands apart from her Vessel siblings as the one true "child" of the Pale King, rather than just another magical construct.
Speculating on Romance
Given their complete lack of gendered characteristics or biological capacity, don‘t expect any hot Vessel-on-bug dating action in Hollow Knight. Unlike humanity, sexual/romantic relationships don‘t seem very prominent in Hallownest‘s bug society in general.
While the developer has coyly teased putting romance options in Silksong, I‘d be very surprised if they introduced any kind of sexuality for the Vessels. Their neutral, sexless nature is too intrinsic to their identity and purpose in my view.
But hey, Rule 34 dictates people on the internet will ship anything, so images of the Knight passionately caressing the moody Grimm have surely been feverishly penned in darkened rooms regardless!
The Genderless Champion
Jokes aside, I quite enjoy Hollow Knight‘s refreshing approach to protagonist characterization…
