It’s been a while.
I hope you all are doing well.
As I’m sure you all know, I’ve been on a journey of self discovery these last couple
of months.
I read Edward Snowden’s new autobiography.
And honestly, it changed my life.
I also saw the new Joker movie.
And honestly, it changed my life.
And then, I tried vegemite.
And honestly, it changed my life.
But you’re probably not here to listen to me talk about that, considering none of that
is in the title of the video.
So instead, we’re going to take a deep, hard, throbbing look at the lore tablets located
at the very beginning of Hollow Knight.
For being the first lore tablets we see, it’s surprising how little I’ve discussed them.
I briefly went over them in that one MatPat response video I made, but that video was
bonkers enough without me going on an insane tangent explaining abstract concepts like
“souls”, and “true forms”, and “words”.
But now, I think it’s time to finally get to the bottom of this mystery.
These lore tablets are located in an area called the King’s Pass.
This is basically the tutorial level where the player is taught tricky maneuvers like
walking, jumping and focusing soul.
This last ability is specifically taught to the player by reading this first lore tablet.
But even if the tablet’s main goal is to teach the player a move, there still must
be some lore explanation for why the tablet is there.
Considering this area is called the King’s Pass, it seems likely that these tablets were
written, or scribbled, by the Pale King.
One thing that separates these tablets from most of the other lore tablets found in the
game is how they all start with the same phrase: Higher beings, these words are for you alone.
So these tablets were left specifically for a group of people known as “Higher beings”.
But who exactly are these higher beings supposed to be?
Some have argued that the tablets were left for the vessels.
After all, the first lore tablet teaches the Knight how to focus, a very specific ability
seemingly only vessels are shown performing.
And the vessels are the children of two gods, so it would be reasonable to call them Higher
beings.
Another interpretation is that these tablets are speaking directly to you, the player.
So I guess Higher beings in this case would be humans.
Not sure how I feel about that.
I’m not a huge fan of either of these interpretations.
Instead, I’d like to argue that these tablets were specially written for bugs that traveled
to Hallownest from the lands beyond.
I like this theory because it ties these tablets into other parts of the lore, such as the
Mask Maker and the Pale King’s beacon.
But be warned, this theory is a little bit… out there.
You might even call this theory a little “speculative” or in other words “nonsense”.
So please keep an open mind while watching, and don’t just assume that I’m right.
It’s entirely possible that we simply don’t have enough information to truly answers some
of these questions, and that’s okay.
Let’s start with the very first hurdle we have with this theory: “Higher beings”.
The game uses this phrase a total of six times: three in the King’s Pass, one in the Howling
Cliffs, and one in the Ancient Basin, near the entrance to the Abyss.
The last time it is used is to refer to the Pale King and the White Lady’s union which
resulted in the creation of the worst charm in the game, the Kingsoul.
Now the game never gives us a formal definition of what Higher beings are, but we do have
a few external sources that mention it.
In a Reddit AMA, William Pellen explained that Higher beings are creatures that exist
above all others, such as the Radiance, the Pale King and the White Lady.
There is also a developer’s note found in Hollow Knight’s code that states that Higher
beings are God-like creatures.
So by that logic, my theory makes no sense, since the bugs regularly traveling to Hallownest
were probably not as powerful as the Pale King.
But at the same time, it seems highly unlikely that the Pale King would have written these
tablets for creatures of immense power like himself.
He didn’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon for the Radiance, after all.
So why exactly would the Pale King call regular bugs Higher beings?
It all ties into the promise of Hallownest.
The second King’s Pass lore tablet, located next to the Fury of the Fallen charm reads:
Let all bask in your majesty, for only this kingdom could produce ones such as you.
From this tablet, we can tell that the “Higher beings” the Pale King is referring to are
creatures with abilities produced by Hallownest.
The lore tablet in the Pale King’s throne room tells us that the Pale King’s beacon
expanded the minds of bugs, and the lore tablet in the Howling Cliff also mentions that the
kingdom grants bugs minds.
This is further backed up by Dream Nail dialogue from both the Whispering Root, and this chonky
bug corpse.
So the King’s Pass tablet says that Higher beings are produced by Hallownest, and several
sources claim that Hallownest itself expands the minds of bugs, so this must be what the
Pale King means when he refers to Higher beings.
The reason the kingdom is called Hallownest is because that is literally what it is.
An area of land hallowed, or made holy, by the Pale King, granting those within it higher
thought.
So why exactly does William’s definition of Higher beings conflict with these tablets?
Is William on bath salts again?
Well maybe, but another explanation could be that the Pale King is likening his subjects
to gods as a way to make his gift sound even greater.
It’s a bit of a lie on his part, and it seems like his main motivation was to earn
the devotion of these bugs, but he is still elevating their powers nonetheless.
Alright, that’s eight words down.
Let’s look at the other twenty-one words: Your great strength marks you amongst us.
Focus your soul and you shall achieve feats of which others can only dream.
This first sentence appears to parallel a line from the Quirrel comic.
Quirrel explains that the path to Hallownest is difficult to achieve, stating that Hallownest
accepts only the strong.
Of course, this raises the issue of how complete weakling like Zote and Cloth were able to
make it to Hallownest in the first place.
But then again, Zote is just too cryptic of a character in general.
I’ve been trying to pin down his political ideology for months now.
I mean, is he an authoritarian, an anarchist or a liberatarin?
This next sentence about focusing soul is where things get a bit complicated.
Now in the mechanics of Hollow Knight, focusing is when the Knight consumes souls in order
to repair its shell.
But what does it mean for regular bugs to focus soul?
This ability seems to be reserved specifically for Vessels.
And it seems very unlikely that the Pale King wanted his subjects to mess with soul in that
way, considering he condemned the actions of the Soul Master and his followers.
To answer why the Pale King would want his subjects to “focus [their] soul”, I think
we’ll need to look at this from a different angle.
Let’s talk about what the word “focus” actually means.
If we look at how the word is used throughout parts of the game, it appears to link up often
with both the use of soul and the use of mind.
This might not be true in every case, but I think it’s a good framework to work from
when discussing this part of the game’s lore.
Let’s start with the scholars of the Soul Sanctum.
These bugs were hoarding soul in some strange attempt to avoid the Radiance’s plague as
well as achieve immortality.
In one of their lore tablets, the scholars mention a desire to “attain a pure focus”.
Now your guess is as good as mine as to what that actually means, but it seems safe to
assume that it requires an impressive mastery of soul.
And we can see that this act took quite a heavy toll on the minds of the scholars, with
the Soul Twisters mentioning how their minds swell and ache.
The possibility of a connection between focusing and the mind becomes explicit when we look
at the Godseekers.
The Godseeker straight up tells the Knight that they are using a Godly focus to attune
to the Gods of Hallownest and ascend their own mind.
The Weathered Mask description also states that it allows its wearer to focus their thoughts.
So in this instance.
focusing doesn’t seem to be related to soul at all, but it still involves the mind.
We also have the Void Statue in the Hall of Gods which reads “Void Given Focus”, which
in the initial release of Godmaster read “Void Given Mind”.
This cut text might give us a hint of what is going on here.
I have heard some argue that Team Cherry removed the word “Mind” because void in it’s
base form already has a mind.
I, however, think that “Focus” and “Mind” are somewhat interchangeable terms, which
is why Team Cherry used one instead of the other.
It’s hard to say for sure, but I think we’re supposed to understand that the Shade Lord
is some kind of conscious void being unlike anything we’ve really seen before.
Now there are more examples we could look at, but hopefully you can see what I’m getting
at.
Focusing for many characters in Hollow Knight means the use of one’s mind in some capacity.
The scholars of the Soul Sanctum strained their minds to try and attain a pure focus,
and the Godseekers used their focus in a way to ascend their minds.
Let’s use that framework when interpreting this final line from the most cryptic bastard
in this whole game: Mask Maker: A wonderful thing to have, a face.
Not a thing with which we all are blessed.
For this kingdom's faceless, I shall provide.
A mask!
A face!
Does it need one?
Does it not?
To define.
To focus.
To exist.
The Mask Maker is basically equating being able to focus with having a face.
To have a face means to exist.
So if we say that focusing means having a mind, then the Mask Maker is saying that a
face is required in order to have a mind.
I know that sounds stupid and dumb, but if you think about it philisophically, it makes
sense.
Having senitience or consciousness is paramount to having a sense of self.
And what represents the concept of the self better than the face?
There’s a parallel between this line from Mask Maker and the lore tablet in the King’s
Pass.
Both establish the idea that not everyone is capable of focusing, or in other words,
not everyone has a face.
Focusing allows you to achieve feats others can only dream of, while having a face (which
lets you focus) is not something with which all are blessed.
So in other words, this lore tablet might be saying that Hallownest grants bugs “faces”
which allow them to think.
I know that might sound strange, but it actually ties nicely into the second King’s Pass
lore tablet: Within our lands do not hide your true form.
Let all bask in your majesty, for only this kingdom could produce ones such as you.
What does true form mean?
Well the phrase “true form” is only used in two other places in the game.
It is used in the Pure Nail description, as well as the Ancient Mask description.
The Ancient Mask description reads: A complete mask.
When whole, a mask protects its wearer, shielding the true form beneath.
So this second tablet could be implying that the reader might be wearing some kind of mask
in order to hide their true form.
They might be wearing this mask as a way to be able to define, focus and exist, as Mask
Maker explains.
But this tablet is telling the reader that their mask is no longer needed, implying that
this “face” is now provided by Hallownest itself.
Now I know what you’re thinking.
What the hell is mossbag talking about?
Is he on bath salts again?
How does wearing a mask or having a face help you focus?
And how does entering Hallownest affect any of that.
Let’s look at the first lore tablet again; the one that tells the reader to “focus
your soul”.
Now, the use of the word soul here might connect to the Elegy for Hallownest.
At one point the poem states that Hallownest tamed the “savage souls” of its subjects.
Perhaps this focusing of the soul is how this taming occurs.
In other words, Hallownest grants bugs the ability to focus their own souls, turning
them from savages to civilized bugs.
This resulted in the expansion of their minds, as stated in the throne room tablet.
This line of thinking implies that bugs outside of Hallownest can’t focus their souls as
well, which could be what we see in the Quirrel comic.
The bugs in the wilderness must forgo higher thought in order to adapt to the harsh conditions
of the land.
The Elegy of Hallownest also states that bugs’ “base instincts were redeemed”.
In other words, these bugs have unfavorable instincts, but the Pale King’s beacon makes
up for these flaws, allowing the bugs to show their true forms without shame.
However, it seems like some of these bugs that wandered the wilderness wore masks, since
the second King’s Pass tablet mentions how these bugs would hide their true forms.
We do see travelers wearing mask ingame, particularly the Grimm Troupe and the Godseekers.
But I don’t know how representative these characters are of the bugs that routinely
traveled to Hallownest.
Okay, so you just witnessed a bunch of mental gymnastics there.
These last several minutes were dedicated solely to trying to explain the “focus your
soul” line.
And to be perfectly honest, part of me wonders if Team Cherry even intended half of these
connections I just made.
The fact that they changed that line of dialogue about the Void being given focus may indicate
that a lot of this stuff might be pretty vague, even to them.
But if we take a step back, I think this concept still makes sense in a broader view.
Basically you need a “face” in order to achieve higher thought, or to have an identity.
But not everyone is blessed with this naturally, as some numbskulls are only capable of relying
on instinct to survive.
However, some would wear masks as a way to supplement their savage nature.
But then the Pale King came along and promised a world where masks weren’t needed.
He granted a “face” to bugs outright, giving them the ability to control their savage
nature and achieve higher thought.
And now we come to the final lore tablet, located right outside the sealed up door to
Hallownest: Beyond this point you enter the land of King
and Creator.
Step across this threshold and obey our laws.
Bear witness to the last and only civilisation, the eternal Kingdom.
Hallownest Now this tablet specifically makes it clear
to me that these lore tablets are directed at newcomers to the kingdom and not the vessels
or the player directly.
These tablets were likely erected during Hallownest’s prime, whereas the vessels would have probably
appeared much, much later after the kingdom fell.
And why would the Pale King be telling us to obey Hallownest’s laws?
What, is he expecting me to pay taxes or something?
But of course, there is another problem with this tablet that we need to discuss.
The Pale King calls Hallownest the “last and only civiliszation”.
But we know that was a fucking lie because there’s Pharloom, as well as wherever it
is Ze’mer is from.
So is the Pale King just unaware of these other kingdoms, or is he purposefully lying
to the bugs entering Hallownest?
I wouldn’t be surprised if the Pale King were being a bit dishonest here.
After all, his whole motivation appears to be based on accruing worshippers to devote
themselves to him.
His servants even thought that he created the world and everything in it, which obviously
isn’t true.
And that pretty much wraps up these tablets.
I should take a moment to address a few counter arguments to my theory.
In the Wanderer’s Journal, the character Ellina remarks the following when standing
next to the locked door in the Ancient Basin: If only I could decipher the message on the
tablet next to the door, perhaps I could figure out how to open it.
This dialogue might imply that Ellina is completely incapable of reading the lore tablet, which,
just like the King’s Pass tablets, begins with the phrase about Higher beings.
Is it because my assumption about what “Higher beings” means in this context is wrong?
Is it because the text is written in a language that Ellina can’t read?
My interpretation is that Ellina can read this tablet, however, she can’t decipher
what the Pale King’s message means.
Perhaps she thinks that she could open the door if she understood what regrets were hidden
in the Abyss.
Another explanation might be that bugs with higher intelligence already, like Ellina,
can’t read these tablets because they only appear to bugs whose minds were actually elevated
by Hallownest.
Regardless, I don’t think this sentence from Ellina has to debunk the whole theory.
Another issue is how bugs like Zote, Cornifer, Iselda, and Tiso are perfectly capable of
traversing the lands beyond Hallownest without seemingly needing to wear masks.
My theory doesn’t really do anything to address this problem, but it might be due
to what species of bugs these characters are.
Mask Maker mentions that only some bugs are blessed with a face.
Maybe these characters are born with higher thought and don’t need any help to show
intelligence.
I mean, Cornifer is obviously smart, the dude wears glasses after all.
Or maybe I am completely misunderstanding what masks actually do.
After all, none of what I’ve talked about answers why the Mask Maker has those anime
swirly void eye things.
Like seriously what the fuck are those?
And does that play any roll into why he is wearing a mask?
And that leaves a few questions about other bugs in Hallownest as well.
Did the Vengeflies become Higher beings, or are they still dumb as rocks even with the
Pale King’s beacon?
What about the bugs of Deepnest?
It’s unclear if they are in the beacon, since Deepnest technically isn’t part of
Hallownest.
Are these bugs just naturally intelligent?
Midwife seems to think so, but she might be a bit biased.
This would also imply that Mantises, Mushrooms and some of the bees already had the intelligence
to focus their soul before the Pale King arrived.
Which makes it odd that this is never really mentioned anywhere in the game.
We just kinda have to assume that they could do this.
And that’s it for this video.
In general, I think it’s a compelling argument, but remember, just because something is compelling,
that doesn’t mean it’s right.
That’s how you get cults like Scientology and the NSA, the United States Bowling Congress.