Five Great Knights

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Mighty Hegemol... What a towering figure he was, though surprisingly soft spoken for one so large. They were all impressive in their own right, of course. Fierce Dryya, kindly Isma, mysterious Ze'mer ... erm, and the other one.

The Five Great Knights of Hallownest once stood beneath the throne as the kingdom's protectors.[1] They are revered figures who are often mentioned in historical records but only as a group. Information on the individual Great Knights is sparse, with Relic Seeker Lemm noting that their names and appearance seem to have been erased from history.[2]

The Five Great Knights are:

By the time the Knight returns to Hallownest, three of the Great Knights have either died or disappeared. Only Ogrim and Ze'mer are known to be alive.


The Great Knights are depicted in Ogrim's cave below his boss arena as statues made of dung:

From left to right: Ze'mer, Dryya, Isma, Hegemol, and Ogrim

The silhouettes of four of them can be seen in the arena of Hidden Dreams content White Defender:

From left to right: Ze'mer, Dryya, Isma, and Hegemol

Ze'mer

Located in the Resting Grounds where she is known as the "Grey Mourner", Ze'mer is the only remaining Great Knight besides Ogrim. Sheo refers to her as "mysterious Ze'mer". She is not native to Hallownest, originating from "lands serene", a location from which she also brought Delicate Flowers.[3] There is not much known about Ze'mer when she was a Great Knight, but Ogrim remarks on how she told stories.[4]

After her Mantis lover died,[5] Ze'mer turned to mourning and retreated to her house in the Resting Grounds.[6] She dissipates after the Knight delivers the Delicate Flower to the grave of her lover.


Dryya

Dryya had a hard front, and Nailmaster Sheo refers to her as "Fierce Dryya", although she is noted to have been a caring type.[7][8] Ogrim mentions that he misses her wisdom.[9] She was tasked with standing guard over the White Lady in the Queen's Gardens.[7]

After defeating numerous Mantis Traitors, evidenced by the pile of their corpses aside Dryya's own, they eventually overwhelmed her. The White Lady is not aware of Dryya's death.[7]

Dream Nail Dialogue

  • Protect...

Isma

Referred to as "kindly Isma" by Nailmaster Sheo, there is little known about Isma, but her strength seemed to surpass that of Ogrim's, and her nature seemed to be kind and understanding.[8][10] Ogrim and Isma had a very close relationship, even more so since he seems to be protecting her grove specifically.[11][12] Isma’s powers and capabilities are not specifically stated but seem to have some relation to acid, as her tear or "blessing" grants acid immunity. Her grove is referred to as the "source of acid blight."[13]

She can be found within the Royal Waterways, in Isma’s Grove. She appears to be dead and her body can be seen attached to a wall by plant growth; making the cause of her death the most questionable.

Dream Nail Dialogue

  • ...Ogrim... there's no time...

Hegemol

Hegemol is the only Great Knight whose whereabouts are largely unknown. He was the favourite Great Knight of Nailmaster Sheo, who calls him "Mighty Hegemol".[8] He was a towering figure but soft spoken, which was surprising for somebody of his stature.[8] Ogrim mentions that he misses Hegemol's humour.[14]

A statue of Hegemol can be found outside the City of Tears, requiring the City Crest to open the gate to the city.[15]

While Hegemol was sleeping, his armoured shell was stolen by a Maggot who wanted to defend his siblings. It is unknown whether Hegemol is alive after this or if he was murdered by the maggot.[16][17] While the False Knight who stole his shell wields a mace with an armoured bug attached to the end, Hegemol himself is always shown without any weapon.


Ogrim

The most loyal of the Five Great Knights,[18] Ogrim is found in the Royal Waterways where he is known as "Dung Defender". He hopes to meet the other Great Knights again and see Hallownest be reborn.[19] Although he misses Isma in particular, he is not able to visit her grove due to his duties and an oath that he swore.[11][20] Due to this, he seems to be unaware of Isma's fate and the fate of the other Great Knights.

When he is defeated five times in his dreams as Hidden Dreams content White Defender, Ogrim wonders if the line of Hallownest's Great Knights ends with him or whether it can be passed on, mentioning that he can easily imagine the Knight standing amongst the greatest heroes of the age.[21] Ogrim disappears after this encounter, leaving behind a statue of the Knight made of dung.

Gallery

Trivia

Dryya promotional art
  • A fight with Dryya was planned early in development but was later cut. A Kickstarter update described her as:
"One of Hallownest's five greatest Knights and defender of the Queen’s Glade. She was driven mad by her Queen lost and the garden overrun. Still she retains her honour, offering fair challenge to the Hollow Knight: Nail against nail. A duel to the death."[22]
  • Ogrim was revealed as a boss in a Kickstarter update with a different backstory:
"Deep in the Waterways beneath the City of Tears lurks a shunned being. Once a knight, now lost to puerile obsession: The Dung Defender. Despite his exile, the Dung Defender has for centuries maintained a self-conferred charge: the protection of his mysterious gleaming 'beloved.' Stalwart and full of bravado, the Dung defender eagerly challenges all who would enter his noxious realm."[23]
  • In early development, Herrah the Beast was named Hegemol.[24] This was later changed to her current name.

References

  1. Official manual: "Five legendary figures once stood beneath the throne as the kingdom's protectors."
  2. Relic Seeker Lemm: "Do you know of the Kingdom's five great knights? They're revered figures of Hallownest, often mentioned in the annals of the Kingdom, but only as a group. Both their names and appearance seem to have been expunged from history. So long has passed since their time. It'd be a grand achievement to discover their identities."
  3. Godmaster content White Lady when she is given a Delicate Flower: "Far it travelled to reach this place, brought by one beloved, fair knight of lands serene."
  4. Hidden Dreams content White Defender Dream Nail dialogue: "Ze'mer... I miss your stories..."
  5. Grey Mourner: "And now meled'lover, dead so long in time."
  6. Grey Mourner: "Is it that, Le'mer? Such grief, can end?"
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 White Lady: "Dear Ogrim, I'm sure you saw Dryya on the way in? She's stood guard over me for so long. Despite her hard front, she's always been a caring type. I'm sure she'll much enjoy a Knights' reunion."
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Nailmaster Sheo: "Mighty Hegemol [...] What a towering figure he was, though surprisingly soft spoken for one so large. They were all impressive in their own right, of course. Fierce Dryya, kindly Isma, mysterious Ze'mer ... erm, and the other one."
  9. Hidden Dreams content White Defender: "Dryya... I miss your wisdom..."
  10. Dung Defender inaccessible Dream Nail dialogue: "...Isma... So strong.... Teach me..."
  11. 11.0 11.1 Hidden Dreams content White Defender Dream Nail dialogue: "Isma... I miss.. I miss you..."
  12. Royal Waterways Lore Tablet: "Only those who prove their honour in combat may enter the grove beyond. -The Defender"
  13. Mister Mushroom Lore Tablet: "Aside the source of acid blight,"
  14. Hidden Dreams content White Defender Dream Nail dialogue: "Hegemol... I miss your humour..."
  15. Relic Seeker Lemm: "Others have told me there's a statue out by the city's entrance depicting a large knightly figure. Could be one of the Kingdom's great five."
  16. Failed Champion: "I wanted it.... the strength to protect the others... When I saw that Knight... sleeping... safe in his big armoured shell... It wasn't madness that drove me to it... I just wanted it..."
  17. Team Cherry's answer in an AMA as to whether Hegemol is still alive.
  18. Defender's Crest description: "Unique charm bestowed by the King of Hallownest to his most loyal knight."
  19. Hidden Dreams content White Defender: "We will all meet again. I promise it..." "My King... Hallownest will be reborn! Glorious and bright! Just as it always was..."
  20. Dung Defender: "Ahh! That tear... You've been to her grove! I swore I'd visit, but... my duties... my oath..."
  21. Dung Defender: "The Pale Court was a wondrous place full of the age's greatest heroes. Ahh! Looking at you now, I can easily imagine you standing amongst them."
  22. Kickstarter update of December 22, 2014.
  23. Kickstarter update of December 16, 2014.
  24. The Making Of Hollow Knight early map.