The second game of the indie developer Team Cherry seems to offer a completely new adventure for players. Even if there is definitely a connection with Hollow Knight, there will be much more lore to discover with Hollow Knight: Silksong. In the upcoming game, players will get to follow Hornet as she explores a realm called Pharloom and attempts to ascend to the Citadel. But, what exactly is Silksong?
Although it has been a while since the last piece of information about Hollow Knight: Silksong was released, there might be some hints about how Silk and Song will be used in the new game. Particularly, with the game's official trailer, the feature in Edge magazine, and the lore from the previous game, there might be enough clues as to why Silk and Song are so important in the realm of Pharloom.
The Weavers
An important thing to remember is that Hornet is the daughter of the Pale King and Herrah, one of the Dreamers who helps seal down the Hollow Knight with the infection. Unlike the other two Dreamers, Herrah is not a higher being, but she was the queen of Deepnest. Said location is a far realm of Hallownest, known for being home to a spider-like civilization known as the weavers, who left after the infections spread but come back to aid Hornet in her quest to reach the Citadel in Hollow Knight: Silksong.
While players can meet some weavers such as the Midwife in Hallownest, it seems like Hollow Knight: Silksong will include more details about this civilization. So far, it has been established that the weavers did not accept the Pale King as much as other insects in Hallownest did, but they reached an agreement to contain the infection. What is yet to be seen, however, is the weaver's reaction to Herrah's sacrifice, the seal breaking, and Hornet's capture.
What is Silk?
In Hollow Knight, players would get a substance called Soul whenever they hit an enemy. Soul could later be "focused" to re-gain health, or used to cast spells that could harm enemies. What is more interesting is the fact the Soul was only used by The Knight and some beings like the Soul Master and other foes in the Soul Sanctum.
Hollow Knight suggests the use of Soul was not widespread and, in fact, was used to combat the infection against the Pale King's wishes. Soul was found out to be the substance that animated bugs, so it seems like it could grant them consciousness. This is probably why it was used against the infection which caused bugs to act like zombies and lose their own will.
Instead of casting spells like the Knight, Hornet will be using Silk, which seems to be a material used by Weavers in general. Similar to Soul, Silk can be used as a weapon together with Hornet's nail. Additionally, it seems like Silk plays a vital role in the story as it seems to be tied directly with Soul. Given how Hornet starts her adventure with diminished power, it might be that Silk will become the key for her to gain back her strength.
What about Song?
Even though Song does not play such an important role in Hollow Knight the same way Soul does, it did appear a couple of times in the first game. There are a couple of charms related to Song: Grubsong and Weaversong. However, the two of them work in very different ways. The first one helps the Knight gain a bit of soul whenever it takes damage, while the second one spawns Weavers that accompany the Knight and help attack enemies, similarly to the Glowing Womb charm.
It may not be clear what those two charms have to do with Song, but there is a possibility it helps enhance the main characteristics of the species. In any case, Song (and music in general) will be much more present in Hollow Knight: Silksong as it can be easily deduced just by looking at the game's trailer. Bells are present in many of the character's designs and as part of the background. Furthermore, there is a clip of Hornet using her nail as some sort of guitar which suggests playing music will be a key part of the game.
Perhaps the actual role of Song is still a mystery, Team Cherry has made it clear that Pharloom, the place where Hollow Knight: Silksong takes place, is "haunted by silk and song" and both of them seem to be the main forces in this realm. In this game, other bugs are not infected but they are pilgrimaging to Pharloom and attempting to ascend to the Citadel. It could be that, just like Soul, Silk and Song grant bugs more power that might help them get rid of a threat, which is yet to be seen in Team Cherry's upcoming game.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is currently in development for PC and Switch.