Ever feel like Pharloom is Hallownest turned upside-down?
Hollow Knight: Silksong has finally landed, inviting players to climb a shimmering new kingdom that somehow echoes the decayed depths we explored years ago. Pharloom’s towers ring with music and silk, yet its secrets hum the same dark melody that once haunted Hallownest.
This comprehensive guide digs into the biggest fan theories and developer clues—from world geometry to bell rituals—to reveal how these two bug civilizations are mirrors of each other, locked in the same eternal cycle of faith, control, and quiet rebellion.
🗺️ 1. World Design: Descent vs. Ascent
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Hallownest: A downward plunge into forgotten ruins and the abyss, symbolizing decay and burial.
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Pharloom: A vertical pilgrimage toward the luminous Citadel, symbolizing faith and enlightenment.
Despite opposite directions, both worlds share non-linear exploration and layered biomes, with community scale analyses suggesting Pharloom may be twice the size of Hallownest.
🔔 2. Bells vs. Seals: Competing Symbols of Control
| Aspect | Hallownest | Pharloom |
|---|---|---|
| Power Symbol | Pale King’s four-spiked Seals | Omnipresent Bells |
| Purpose | Architectural control, royal authority | Cultural control, religious devotion |
| Theme | Suppression of history and dissent | Enforced conformity through song |
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Pharloom’s Bells appear on staffs, hats, and weapons—thought to spread the silk “Haunting” that binds bugs to duty.
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Hallownest’s Seals overwrite older Radiance symbols, hinting at political erasure.
🎵 3. Song vs. Infection: Two Forms of Subjugation
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Radiant Infection: A mind-warping plague of rage and forgetfulness.
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The Haunting Song: A hypnotic melody of eternal servitude, possibly wielded by Grand Mother Silk, a higher being who rivals the Radiance through art instead of light.
🧵 4. Weaver Culture: The Shared Thread
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Pharloom is the ancestral homeland of the Weavers, who later settled Deepnest.
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Hornet’s heritage—daughter of Herrah the Beast—ties her needle and silk spool directly to Pharloom’s culture.
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Their migration hints at a repeating rise-and-fall cycle across bug civilizations.
⚖️ 5. Faith vs. Authority: Two Philosophies of Power
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Hallownest: “No cost too great” authority of the Pale King, built on sacrifice and memory suppression.
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Pharloom: Faith-driven pilgrimage exploited by leaders at the shining Citadel.
Even the currencies reflect belief: Geo is secular; Rosaries are sacred tokens of devotion.
🌌 6. Community Theories: Echoes and Reflections
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Parallel Higher Beings: Radiance vs. Grand Mother Silk as ideological opposites.
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The Void’s Return: Speculation that the Void could bridge both kingdoms, teasing a multikingdom sequel.
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Cyclical Decay: Hornet’s journey may finally break the endless pattern that doomed Hallownest.
💎 Conclusion: Two Sides of the Same Coin
Pharloom rises where Hallownest fell, yet both are bound by the same themes of control, faith, and resistance. One descends into darkness, the other ascends toward false salvation—but each challenges the player to question who truly holds the strings.
As you climb Pharloom’s bell-lined towers, remember: every chime is an echo of Hallownest’s silence.
Further Reading & Resources
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