As it turns out, Belladonna's suspicions were spot on when it came to the Hollow Knight that Kumiko called 'Edwin'. Well, some of them.
That was not a name that she had assigned to him as some kind of companion in her lonliness, like Belladonna had done with Jinu, although she had carved the face on him.
No, Edwin's name came from when he was alive.
Kumiko, or rather Kumiko translating for Edwin, explained that the invasion of the Undead was not swift. It was the final straw in a war that lasted for a few years.
Usually such a time was short for the Elves, who could last centuries with little issue, but it was a war that they had been severely losing. They were pushed harder than they had ever expected, losing their numbers at an alarming rate that their slow birthrate could never dream of replenishing.
Compare that to the Undead, whose numbers only grew the more they slaughtered, it was a constant losing battle of attrition.
