arendelle-archives

[arendelle-archives]

The Northuldras and their Sámi origins

In this article, I will discuss the Northuldras, as well as Iduna and Kristoff, and Sámi culture. Since Frozen 2, there has been some confusion surrounding the Northuldras and their appearance. I have done my best to gather as much information as possible through my research.

Summary:

The Sámi Siberia Northuldras Iduna Kristoff Bonus: Frozen 2 songs in Northern Sámi

My previous articles:

The Sámi people

The Sámis, also spelled “Sami” or “Saami,” are an indigenous people who live scattered across northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula in Russia. The Sámpi region was formerly known as Lapland, and the Sámi were historically known in English as “Lapps” or “Laplanders,” but this term is foreign and pejorative, derived from the root lapp, which means “rag-bearer” in Swedish, and ‘Lapland’ possibly means “desert in the north.” They prefer their own endonym, for example Northern Sámi Sápmi. Their traditional languages are the Sámi languages, which are classified as a branch of the Uralic language family. The traditional activities of the Sámi were once fishing and reindeer herding, but today only a minority of the 85,000 still make their living from these activities.

The Sámi have had a complicated relationship with the Scandinavians (known as Nordics in medieval times). In Norway, the Sámi people were subjected to a persistent assimilation policy from the mid-1800s to the late 1960s. The assimilation policy helped legitimize discrimination against the Sámi, and although it has been abandoned, the Sámi continue to be victims of harassment and discrimination because of their ethnicity. Discrimination has a negative impact on the physical and mental health of the Sámi and has a detrimental effect on their daily lives and well-being. Many Sámi people explain that they hide their identity to protect themselves from harassment and discrimination. From the mid-1800s until the late 1960s, they were considered a foreign people, often characterized as uncivilized, and a policy toward the Sámi marked by racist attitudes and notions of racial hierarchy was pursued. For decades, this policy helped legitimize discrimination against the Sámi in Norway. Similar stories of abuse against the Sámi and their lives, health, and rights also occurred in Sweden and, to some extent, in Finland. Although this policy has been abandoned, negative attitudes and a lack of recognition of the Sámi language and culture still prevail. 

Culture and traditions

Religion:

The traditional Sámi religion shares elements with other religions of the polar regions, such as bear worship, sacrifices, shamanism, etc. Men and women have their own gods. This traditional polytheistic religion was the majority religion until the Middle Ages (from the 11th century onwards), when Christianity became the dominant religion by the end of the 18th century. “White” animals played a particularly important role. The noaidi (shaman) has a strong influence on the sijdda (the community that forms a village in winter), as an advisor, doctor, and religious figure. As with other circumpolar peoples, the shaman is an intermediary between the human world and the supernatural world. During ecstatic trance, the shaman communicates with the spiritual world populated by gods and creatures, whom he or she questions in order to obtain information or satisfy a request.

At the beginning of the 17th century, the situation worsened for the Sami people. Severe taxes were imposed and the Swedish royal family enforced them rigorously. In addition, church villages were built to serve not only as places for evangelizing the indigenous people, but also as centers of justice and markets. This meant that the population, who had to go there to trade, could be better controlled. But the Sami were not only disadvantaged by taxes, evangelization, and the cultivation of their lands; they were also used as forced laborers for projects such as the Nasafjäll silver mine. Reduced to slavery and poverty, the Sami performed all kinds of physical labor for the settlers.

Traditional outfits:

Gákti are traditional garments worn by the Sámi people. Gákti are worn both in ceremonial contexts and during work, particularly when herding reindeer.

Traditionally, the gákti was made from reindeer leather and tendons, but nowadays it is more common to use wool, cotton, or silk. Women's gákti usually consist of a dress, a fringed shawl fastened with 1 to 3 silver brooches, and boots/shoes made of reindeer fur or leather. Sámi boots (or nutukas) can have pointed or curved toes and often have woven bands at the ankle. Eastern Sámi boots have a rounded toe on reindeer fur boots, lined with felt and beaded details. There are different gákti for women and men, with men's gákti having a shorter “skirt-skirt-skirt” than the long dress for women. Traditional gákti are most often variations of red, blue, green, white, medium brown tanned leather or reindeer fur. In winter, a reindeer fur coat and leggings are added, and sometimes a poncho (luhkka) and a rope/lasso.

The colors, patterns, and jewelry on the gákti indicate where a person comes from, whether they are single or married, and sometimes can even be specific to their family. The collar, sleeves, and hem usually have appliqués in the form of geometric shapes. Some regions have ribbons, others have tin embroidery, and some Eastern Sami have beads on their clothing or collars. Hats vary according to gender, season, and region. They can be made of wool, leather, or fur. They can be embroidered, or in the East, they resemble a beaded fabric crown with a shawl. Some traditional shamanic headdresses had animal skins, braids, and feathers, especially in eastern Sápmi.

The gákti can be worn with a belt, which is sometimes made of woven strips, woven or beaded. Leather belts may have crimson deer antler buttons, silver buttons resembling conchos, tassels, or brass/copper details such as rings. Belts may also have beaded leather pouches, deer antler needle cases, fire accessories, copper rings, amulets, and often a carved knife or one with a deer antler handle. Some Eastern Sami also have a hooded sweater (малиц) made of reindeer skins with wool inside and knee-high boots.

Music:

In traditional music, songs (such as kvad and leudd songs) and joiks are important musical expressions of the Sámi people and the Sámi languages. The Sámi also use a variety of musical instruments, some unique to the Sámi, others traditional Scandinavian, and others modern. 

Highly spiritual songs called joiks (Northern Sami: luohti, Southern Sami: vuolle) are the most characteristic type of singing. (The same word is sometimes used to refer to lavlu or vuelie songs, although this is technically incorrect). Joiks may have few or no lyrics, no rhyme, and no defined structure. They generally deal with any subject of importance to the singer, and their content varies considerably. In northern regions, each person often has their own joik, sometimes given at birth, which is considered personal and representative of them, like a name. Purely folk joiks lost popularity during the 20th century due to the influence of pop radio and religious fundamentalism, particularly Laestadianism. Joiking first became known in Sweden and Scandinavia as a whole with the 1959 release of “I'm a Lapp” by Sven-Gösta Jonsson, in which the singer sang about heading to pagan stones to a modern, skiffle-like beat. The first commercial recordings of joiking were made by Nils-Aslak Valkeapää in 1968 in Finland. Valkeapää's recordings, however, differ from traditional joiking in that they include both instruments and ambient sounds such as dogs barking and the wind.

Some sources have commented on a supposed lack of musical instruments among the Sami, as in a 1885 work: “They cannot claim to possess a single instrument of their own, not even the most primitive.” Despite these beliefs, the Sami use a variety of musical instruments, many of which are unique to them. Among these instruments are the fadno, a reed flute made from Angelica archangelica stems, and the Sámi drum. Researchers in the late 18th century also noted two bagpipes in Lapland: the sak-pipe and the wal-pipe. Other Sámi instruments in wider Scandinavian use include the lur (a long horn trumpet) and the harpu, a zither similar to the Finnish kantele. Willow flutes are often made from the bark of the viven tree or rowan. Modern groups use a wide variety of instruments, particularly the violin, concertina, and accordion.

"A northern Sámi woman playing the Lur horn in the evening. A woodcut by Emma Edwall based on nature in the mid-1800s."

Sámi drum

Food:

Bread:

Gáhkko – Soft flatbread, baked in a pan or on a flat stone.

Gárrpa – Thin, crispy bread.

Ståmpå – Bread 

Gáhkko

Desserts:

Guetés – Eaten fresh or as jam. Chicouté jam goes well with ice cream when served warm.

Coffee with leipäjuusto

Guompa – Angelica mixed with milk and left to ferment in barrels.

Gumppus – Blood cakes and boiled black pudding with potatoes and meat.

Jåbmå – Mountain sorrel leaves cooked in a stew, usually served with sugar and milk.

Fish dishes:

Various types of dried fish

Guollemales – All types of cooked fish.

Sállteguolle – Salted fish, either lightly salted or heavily salted.

Suovasguolle – Smoked fish

Meat dishes:

Bierggomales – Cooked meat of various kinds, chops, and side dishes are common. Tongue, marrow bones, and liver are also part of Sami cuisine. The dish is more like a five-course dinner, with different parts served in order with hot broth straight from the pot.

Bierggojubttsa – A soup containing meat, potatoes, carrots, or other root vegetables.

Guorppa – A type of sausage made from minced meat wrapped in omentum.

Gåjkkebierggo – Dried meat, eaten as is or in soup with potatoes and rice.

Mallemárffe – Blood sausage

Sautéed reindeer

Slåbbå – Blood pancakes

Suovasbierggo – Smoked meat, eaten as is or fried

Smoked reindeer

Objects/crafts:

Origins:

The descendants of these Sami immigrants generally know little about their heritage because their ancestors deliberately hid their indigenous culture to avoid discrimination from the dominant Scandinavian or Nordic culture. Some of these Sami are part of a diaspora that settled in North America to escape the assimilation policies of their country of origin. Several Sami families were also brought to North America with reindeer herds by the US and Canadian governments as part of the Alaska Reindeer Service, which was designed to teach the Inuit how to raise reindeer. 

The origins of the Sami people remain a mystery, but there are a few clues.

“Yes. They carry some of the same genetic code as the Navajo, who are now believed to be descendants of a semi-nomadic Asian tribe that lived in a region of Eastern Siberia. Recent anthropological articles have discussed how there are some similarities in the language of the Nenet and other Siberian peoples in the Altai region and the Navajo. There has been a lot of debate about this, but linguistics is a very difficult subject and it is often very hard to actually pinpoint when and how and why there are similarities or differences in languages because of how much different peoples travel. However, unlike the languages, memories, and theories of people, genetics is a more certain factor in determining heritage. My mother’s ancestors were from Scandinavia on her father’s side. She was a blonde with blue eyes, and only 4 foot 9 inches tall.

When I had a DNA test done, I ran the results of the test through GED Match, which broke the actual generic results down even further so that I could see I shared certain chunks of code with people from all over the world. One of the markers said that I had Saami or Navajo DNA. They were the same. I did some research and found articles on the Archaeologica.org website that stated recent research studies have found language similarities between a tribe of semi-nomadic herders living in the Altai region of Siberia and the Navajo. There is no record of anyone on my father’s side marrying a Navajo or Saami native in Scandinavia.

He is of Scottish descent. However, there is a record of my Scandinavian great grandfather 4 times removed, marrying a 10 year old “woman”, when he was 12. Native Americans, as we all were taught in high school, came into North America by crossing the Berringia land bridge during the last ice age and it’s common knowledge they were of Asian descent. Siberians are Asian and the vast majority of Asians are small. So, what happened is that when the Siberian tribespeople crossed the bridge, they split up, at some point, and one group went more easterly into North America and another group went further North into the Arctic Circle until they reached Scandinavia. Or, they split up in Siberia and one group went the opposite direction because the Saami are also found in Northern Russia. This is what is known as the common ancestor theory in anthropology. The Saami do speak a Finnic-Ugric language, but that is not proof they aren’t related to the Navajo. 

That is only proof of the natural dynamic changes that occur when groups of people separate, and begin to intermingle with other groups or tribes of peoples in different areas. Language isn’t static. It is always changing because it is a reflection of our cultures, which are always changing. If it were static, we would still speak as we did thousands of years ago. The reason my mother, me and my brothers are all so small is because we are of Asian descent through the Saami people who migrated into Northern Scandinavia from the Altai Mountain region of Siberia. And the reason she was blonde and blur eyed is because we don’t always inherit dominant traits. The Saami look more European now because of intermarriage with the Norse and evolution changing their genetics to absorb Vitamin D. In older pictures from the 1800s, they look much more like Native Americans.”

“Sámi are often racialized. Not long ago we were categorized as “Mongoloid”. This was used as a reason to study us and measure our skulls, etc. and steal bodies from our graves. Because we were “mongoloid” we were inferior and they meant they could prove this by measuring our skulls because they (Norwegians, Swedes) supposedly had loner skulls than us. Which is where the word “kortskallet” comes from (“short-head”). In Norway (I think also in Sweden) we do not keep records of peoples races so we would not fill out any forms with our race on. But what most people I have met identify with is White. Btw indigenous is not a race. Indigenous is just another name for native. Indigenous American is more of a race than just indigenous which could mean any indigenous population from Cree nation to Australian Aboriginals to indigenous Taiwanese to indigenous Nenets to Amazigh, etc. genetically speaking we are on average approximately 25% Siberian, 75% European (this is thousands of years back, we are obviously full Sámi and completely different from other European populations as in not related to them at all). 

Feature-wise there are people who look very Eurasian, others who look very European, some who look a bit more in one or the other direction, etc. And let’s be honest, the more Eurasian looking Sámi are more likely to experience racism and racial prejudice. These features are considered to be epicanthic folds/hooded eyes, high protruding cheekbones, brown eyes, dark hair, small flatter nose, etc. Notice how this is a very specific appearance and is built on stereotypes. A lot of Sámi look like this, BUT a lot of Sámi also do NOT look like this. Hope this can give you a kind of insight. Sámi come in all shades and colors and with all features 🤗 This got long, but it’s hard to write about a big topic like this in few words. Btw forgot to mention that a lot of Sámi don’t even identify with any races as they see it as completely irrelevant to their lives. (Which I agree with).”

Sámi flag

By Prince Roland Bonaparte in 1884

Painting by Aleksander Lauréus

Advertisement for an ethnological exhibition on the Sami people in Hamburg-Saint-Paul in 1893/1894

The Sami people nowadays

Siberia

Siberia (in Russian: Сиби́рь, Sibír') is a region of Asia located in Russia, covering an area of 13.1 million square kilometers. It is rich in natural resources but extremely sparsely populated, with a total population of 38 million in 2022, or approximately 3 inhabitants per square kilometer. 

Located in the central and eastern parts of the Russian Federation, it stretches from the Urals in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east (Russian Far East) and from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the borders of Kazakhstan in the southwest, Mongolia in the south, and China in the southeast. Constituting the northern part of Asia, Siberia accounts for 77% of Russia's land area but only 27% of its population. It is characterized by a cold, continental climate with a moderately rugged landscape crisscrossed by mighty rivers. Inhabited by pastoral populations speaking Uralic, Altaic, and Paleosiberian languages, it was gradually colonized by Turkic-Mongolian civilizations, which were supplanted by the Russian Empire from the 17th century onwards with the conquest of Siberia. 

Siberia is known for its long, harsh winters, with an average temperature of -25°C (-13°F) in January. Although geographically located in Asia, Russian sovereignty and colonization since the 16th century have led to the region being perceived as culturally and ethnically European. More than 85% of its population is of European origin, mainly Russian (including the Siberian sub-ethnic group), and East Slavic cultural influences predominate throughout the region. Nevertheless, there are significant ethnic minorities of Asian descent, including various Turkic communities, many of which, such as the Yakuts, Tuvans, the Altai and the Khakas, are indigenous, as well as the Mongolian Buryats, ethnic Koreans, and smaller groups of Samoyed and Tungus peoples (several of whom are classified as indigenous peoples with small numbers by the Russian government), among many others.

The origin of the name is uncertain. In the Russian language, it was adopted as a place name in contact with the Khanate of Siberia (Сибирское ханство) since the 15th century. The Russian name Yugra was applied to the northern lands east of the Urals, which had been known since the 11th century or earlier, while the name Siberia is first mentioned in Russian chronicles at the beginning of the 15th century in connection with the death of Khan Tokhtamysh in “the Siberian land.”

Some sources say that “Siberia” comes from the Siberian Tatar word for “sleeping land” (Sib-ir), but this does not correspond to the current Siberian Tatar language. Mongolist György Kara posits that the place name Siberia is derived from the Mongolian word sibir, related to the modern Buryat sheber “dense forest.” Another hypothesis claims that the region was named after the Sibe people. Another account sees the name as the ancient tribal ethnonym of the Sihirtia or Sirtya (also Sypyr [sjɵpᵻr]), a hypothetical Paleo-Asian ethnic group assimilated by the Nenets. 

The Sibe people:

The Sibe are an ethnic group in East Asia who speak the Tungusic language and live mainly in Xinjiang, Jilin, and Shenyang in Liaoning. The Sibe are one of 56 ethnic groups officially recognized by China and had a population of 190,481 according to the 2010 Chinese census, representing just over 0.014% of China's total population. The Sibe are known by several variations of their name. The Sibe people's self-designation is pronounced Śivə, the official Chinese term is Xibo, in Russian literature the terms Сибинцы (sibintsy) and Шибинцы (shibintsy) are used, while in English works the name Sibe has been established, which corresponds to the written form.

According to Russian scholar Elena P. Lebedeva, the Sibe people were originally a southern branch of the ancient Shiwei people. They lived in small, partly nomadic settlements resembling towns in the Songyuan and Qiqihar regions of what is now Jilin. When the kingdom of Buyeo was conquered by the Xianbei in 286 AD, the southern Shiwei began to practice agriculture. Some historians have hypothesized that the Xianbei were the direct ancestors of the Sibe, a theory described by some as politically motivated. Pamela Kyle Crossley writes that the Xianbei may have undergone a linguistic shift from an earlier Turkic or Proto-Mongolian language to a Tungusic language. However, the name “Sibe” was not used in historical documents during the Xianbei period.

“Military settlers of Sibo” – image drawn by Henry Lansdell during his visit in 1882 to what is now the autonomous county of Qapqal Xibe"

Northuldras

“While the indigenous people in the animated films Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019) are called Northuldra, elements of Sami culture are clearly recognizable in the film inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's Danish fairy tale, such as joik, the traditional Sami song. This inspiration is clearly acknowledged in the second film, for which a verddet “group” composed of six Sámi culture specialists—three Norwegians, two Finns, and one Swede was formed to advise the Disney teams."

The Northuldras live in the enchanted forest to the west and north of Arendelle. There has been some confusion surrounding them and their appearance; at first glance, some thought they were Native Americans. Others thought it was for “inclusivity” because it turns out that people complained that Kristoff was “too white” for a Sami, so they believed that the directors created the Northuldras on purpose. But you will notice that in reality, the directors did not get the Northuldras' appearance wrong; they look like the Sami of old. 

“Yelena, the leader of Northuldra, feels deeply responsible for her people and does not consider only the fate of her kingdom. She has long silver hair that makes her instantly recognizable. It is worn like a crown, giving her a regal bearing befitting her status as an elder.” — Frozen 2, art of 

“Ryder and Honeymaren are brother and sister, so we need to visually convey this closeness while also making them different. Ryder is a lively, playful boy with a generous smile and a warm laugh. He feels a special connection with reindeer, like Kristoff, which allows them to quickly become friends. Honeymaren is more stoic, she is a strong woman. They are both very athletic and comfortable in their environment.” — Frozen 2, art of    

“The inhabitants of Northuldra are very connected to nature. They live and work outdoors, and have adapted to thrive in all conditions.” “The inhabitants of Northuldra are peaceful. Their athletic and swift movements set them apart from other characters.” — Frozen 2, art of

Ryder and Honeymaren, concept art by Jin Kim

Northuldras in Frozen 2 (2019)

Iduna

Iduna is the mother of Elsa and Anna. In Frozen 2, we learn that she is a member of the Northuldra people.

A novel entitled Dangerous Secrets, written by Mari Mancusi, was released on November 3, 2020. This young adult novel tells the story of Agnarr and Iduna, the parents of Elsa and Anna.

Summary of the story

“Sixteen-year-old Iduna harbors a dark secret.On the surface, she is an Arendellian village girl, an aspiring inventor, and the best friend of Prince Agnarr, but she is also secretly Northuldra. Ever since the day the forest fell, Arendellians have despised and distrusted Northuldra with a vengeance. No matter that the Northuldra―along with some of Arendelle’s own―have been trapped in the Enchanted Forest behind an impenetrable wall of mist since the day of the battle. Iduna doesn’t know why the mist refuses to part, or why it descended to begin with. The only clear thing is that she must keep her identity from everyone, even Agnarr. Her life depends on it. Fortunately for her, Agnarr doesn’t know that Iduna is the Northuldra girl he saw seemingly flying on a gust of wind all those years ago, the day of the celebration turned disaster. The day Agnarr lost his father, the king. The day Agnarr himself almost died. What Agnarr does know is that Iduna is a true ally in the face of his royal responsibilities and the expectations of an overbearing council and a well-meaning regent who will rule in Agnarr’s place until he turns twenty-one and assumes the Arendellian throne. As Iduna and Agnarr grow ever closer, however, friendship is no longer enough.

If only falling for each other didn’t mean risking their futures: Iduna’s as a hidden-in-plain-sight citizen of Arendelle, and Agnarr’s as imminent king. But for a chance at true love, the risk might be worth taking”

Iduna is a Sámi from the Northuldra people, born in the enchanted forest. Her parents died when she was five years old, and following their death, Yéléna sort of adopted her. Yéléna is not related to her by blood, but they are from the same people. The Northuldras are a bit like a united family, even if they are not all related by blood. I interpret Yélena as a friend of the family, but according to the novel, Iduna did not know her very well before she took her in. Iduna did not really consider her to be her adoptive mother, but more like a nanny or an aunt.

This war between the Northuldras and the Arendellians took place when Iduna was 12 years old, and it was on that day that she saved Prince Agnarr of Arendelle, who was 14 years old, with the help of her friend Gale (the spirit of the wind). Unfortunately for her, she was unable to rejoin her people in time and remained trapped on the other side of the mist with the Arendellians, hiding in the back of a wagon. She tried to escape again, but she was frightened when she heard the threatening words of one of the Arendelle guards towards the Northuldras, saying that if he found a Northuldra among them, he would not hesitate to kill him. When they arrived in Arendelle, the guards saw him sleeping and woke him up abruptly, having never seen him before and knowing that all the children were accounted for. They were therefore very suspicious of him, but Lord Peterssen intervened and helped him in a way... He was the only one who had guessed Iduna's origins. Lord Peterssen told him not to reveal anything about her origins and to keep it a secret. Iduna was then placed in the orphanage.

Meanwhile, she and the prince became friends without him realizing her origins. 4 years later, Iduna had grown accustomed to life in Arendelle, but nothing could replace her life in the enchanted forest. 1 year earlier, she had enrolled in a mill-building course, thinking it would bring her closer to her friend Gale and teach her more about the science of wind, and it would allow her to save money for when she was old enough to leave the orphanage. But the issue with the Northuldras was still unresolved in Arendelle. At one point in the story, there was an invasion, and non-Arendellian individuals caused chaos in Arendelle. All the inhabitants of Arendelle were convinced that it was the Northuldras who had entered the kingdom to seek revenge or something like that.

Some fans of the FROZEN universe who know Iduna's story still don't understand why she lied and didn't tell Agnarr and his daughters anything. When she was 16, she planned to tell Agnarr about it. She was never ashamed of her origins, but following the invasion, Lord Peterssen came to warn her one evening that a lie detector test would be administered. Iduna was ready to go to Agnarr and reveal her origins, but Peterssen told her not to say anything for the time being. If she revealed her Northuldra identity, Agnarr's reputation would be ruined for associating with a Northuldra, and Peterssen would no longer be able to cover for her. Becoming a mother made the situation even more complicated because her daughters, the two heiresses to the throne, shared the blood of the enemy people. 

Despite the fact that the conflicts had calmed down, the Arendellians and the Northuldras were still enemies. Even though Agnarr was not the type to reveal secrets, if Iduna had confessed to him that she was from the Northuldra people, someone (a member of the castle) might have overheard the conversation unintentionally. If anyone in Arendelle had learned anything about this, Iduna might have been killed or driven out of the people, Elsa and Anna would have been taken away along without their royal inheritance, and would have been placed in a foster home or suffered the same fate as their mother. Agnarr's reputation would have been ruined, and he would have been left alone without his wife and children, not to mention that Iduna was the only person he had left after his father's death. It's horrible.

Iduna's outfits:

In Frozen 1, Iduna was a background character. She was just Elsa and Anna's mother. But in Frozen 2, she finally got her own story (past).

For her outfit, they were initially inspired by Russian clothing, but the story takes place in Norway, so they ultimately opted for a Norwegian outfit.

Concept art of Iduna, Frozen 1 art of

“Elsa and Anna’s mother, Queen Iduna, had to endure emotional wounds, but she is a mother who puts her family first. She didn’t talk much in the first film, but she sought to help her daughters, as well as the people of her homeland, heal their broken land. Elsa and Anna would not have succeeded in their journey without what their mother did for them.” — Frozen 2, art of volume 2

The art of says that her outfit is a Northuldra outfit, but on Pinterest I stumbled across these outfits that look like Iduna's, but according to people, they are ancient Viking outfits. One day, under a Pinterest post, I came across a similar dress design, and the description said it was a Sami outfit. Or maybe Iduna's outfit is a Sami outfit reimagined in the Arendellian style.  

“As a child, Iduna was one with nature, close to the spirit of the wind, happy and carefree. She is playful and affable like Anna, she loves the magic of the world like Elsa, and she has the same thoughtfulness as her daughters. Young Iduna represents what Elsa and Anna could have become if they had grown up playing together. She is her pure essence, free from convention.” — Frozen 2, art of volume 2 

(Elsa is normally a little calmer and more reserved, like her father, but oh well. I don't like it when characters change personalities; in fact, that could be a topic for another article).

Kristoff

"There has been some confusion surrounding them and their appearance; at first glance, some thought they were Native Americans. Others thought it was for “inclusivity” because it turns out that people complained that Kristoff was “too white” for a Sami, so they believed that the directors created the Northuldras on purpose. But you will notice that in reality, the directors did not get the Northuldras' appearance wrong; they look like the Sami of old."

Although he is also a Sámi, he is not part of the Northuldra tribe, but it is possible that the mountain dwellers belong to another Sámi tribe (I call them “the mountain Sámi”). You see, the Northuldras resemble the Sámi of the past, while today's Sámi are diverse, some with Eurasian features and others resembling Europeans due to intermarriage with Europeans. Kristoff and the mountain dwellers in the franchise resemble nowaday's Sámi. 

Kristoff and Ryder, concept art by Jin Kim

Bonus: Songs from Frozen 2 in Northern Sami + Songs by a Sámi artist

Frozen 2 songs

Máddji

Spotify:

Full album:

Full album Youtube Music:

Other:

Youtube Music:

Full album:

This is the end of what is so far the longest article I have written. I hope you have learned something about the Sami people. In a future article, I will discuss the mixed heritage of Elsa and Anna.

[arendelle-archives]

Updated Lars-list!

10. "A True King", comic from the Frozen official Magazine - Agnarr's cousin Lars who lives with his parents (Agnarr's aunt and uncle) to the south of Arendelle.

11. "A Year With Elsa & Anna" - Lars the baby reindeer🦌

My little finding outside the movies - "Lars" ❄️

My forth finding is how many characters with the name "Lars" in books😄I believe most of the people know the Prince Lars of Southern Isles who's having his first appearance in "A Frozen Heart", but not only this Lars, I've found it's fun when there's lots of Lars in Frozenverse, it makes me wondering is it a common baby name in Arendelle😂

A Frozen Heart - Prince Lars of Southern Isles (Pg. 38)

2. "The Next Right Things" in All Is Found: A Frozen Anthology - The same Prince Lars from A Frozen Heart (Pg. 322)

3. "Wandering Oaken and the Not-So-Hygge-Day" in All Is Found: A Frozen Anthology - Oaken's cousin (only mentioned) (Pg. 216)

4. Lost Legend: The Fixer Upper - An Arendelle citizen (Pg. 54)

5. Disney Frozen: Breaking Boundaries - Ice harvester and thief Lars (Pg. 58)

6. Anna & Elsa #4: The Great Ice Engine - A mouse Lars who runs Oaken's ice engine (Pg. 35)

7. Anna & Elsa #9: Anna Takes Charge - An Arendelle kid (Pg. 25)

8. The same story "The Seed-Off Contest" is in Disney Frozen Adventures: Ice and Magic (Pg. 42)

9. "The Biggest Treasure" in Disney Frozen Adventures: Snowy Stories - A Southern Isles kid (Pg. 44)

[arendelle-archives]

Elsa's Ice Throne! ❄️👑

Elsa was supposed to have her own icy throne in her ice palace. As the song goes~ A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the queen. It makes sense, no? An ice castle should have an ice throne, duh!

We see her create it right before Anna's eyes in the storyboard for the deleted scene/song, Life's Too Short.

They even had a 3D model of it! (Thank you, @snoweowl, for sharing this to us on Discord!)

(Artist: Kevin Hudson)

Moreover, there's a coloring book page of her sitting on it, released before the movie came out, serving as one of the film's many promotional materials.

(Journey to the Ice Palace - Jumbo Coloring Book (2013). Illustrated by Disney Storybook Artists)

Here it is again in a storybook also released before the film!

(Elsa's Icy Magic (2013). Illustrated by Joey Chou.)

And again, in these toy sets.

(Disney Lego Frozen & "Frozen-themed Mini Ice Castle Play Set")

Not to mention, it's also featured as a piece of furniture in the game Disney Dreamlight Valley.

(Screenshot from the Dreamlight Valley Wiki)

And, of course, let's not forget all its beautiful concept art!

(Artist: Mac George)

(Artist: Lisa Keene)

(Artist: Julia Kalantarova)

(Artist: Victoria Ying)

(Artist: Kevin Nelson)

(Artist: Lisa Keene)

...and probably more!

Sooo many versions of it, and they're all stunning. I can't even pick a favorite! But for whatever reason, they removed her throne. Sure, it wouldn't have had a significant impact on the plot, but it would've made for an interesting aesthetic! I mean, the Snow Queen would still need to sit somewhere, wouldn't she? 😅

I tried looking for an explanation on the removal, but nothing came up. Maybe I'm just a lousy researcher. Haha. Does anyone have any idea? Have you also seen Elsa's forgotten throne pop up anywhere else? 🤔

[arendelle-archives]

Anna holding Elsa's gloves during her coronation? 👑🧤

We know how Elsa's iconic coronation scene goes: the bishop clears his throat, reminding Elsa that she is required to take off her gloves before she holds the ceremonial orb and scepter. Slowly, she does, before placing them down on a satin pillow.

However, some illustrations of the story depict this scene a little differently. It's actually Princess Anna who holds her gloves for her!

(Disney Frozen Storybook (October 2013). Illustrated by "Disney Storybook Artists.") (ooh, mysteriOOoOus)

(Frozen - Little Golden Books (October 01, 2013). Illustrated by Grace Lee, Massimiliano Narciso, and Andrea Cagol.)

(Anna's Icy Adventure (October 01, 2013). Illustrated by Denise Shimabukuro)

(Journey to the Ice Palace - Jumbo Coloring Book (October 2013). Illustrated by Disney Storybook Artists)

But why? It's likely because these books, as far as my sources tell me, were already made and published before the movie came out on November 27, 2013, serving as promotional materials to catch people's interest and go see the film. So, they probably changed a few scenes here and there after giving the go-ahead to the marketing team.

In my opinion, Frozen would've blown up regardless! Still, I found it to be an interesting alternate-universe-ish phenomena.

[arendelle-archives]

4th anniversary poster 😍

Created by our wonderful member @arendelletales!

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives project-list July 2025

Greetings folks!

We've been digging through the archive cabinets from the past four years and here's what we've uncovered so far:

8 full-fledged analysis works in report-form

33 findings, theories and guides

1 YouTube-video

7 answers to anon-questions (feel free to send us more)

Get the full PDF-list here

Here's a little snapshot

[arendelle-archives]

HAPPY 4TH ANNIVERSARY TO ALL ARCHIVES-MEMBERS! 🥳🎉✨🎂

Gif by @snowflaketale12

Arendelle Archives started as an idea by @saiten-gefroren in 2021 to be a platform for researching and discussing Frozen lore and history.

It got expanded to a discord server in February 2021 with the help of @virtual-winter, @bigfrozenfan and a few other members and finally to tumblr in January 2024. Today, we have grown to almost 20 active members and we have put out... to be frank I don't even know how many projects we have at this point! That's why we will be back with a complete list tomorrow were we will list every project that we've been involved in, so stay tuned for that🤗

In the meantime, we wanna send out a big THANK YOU to everyone who have liked and reblogged our projects for the past year and a half! Thank you for being on this Frozen learning-journey with us.

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 10/10

In our FINAL PART of our anniversary series, we take a look at the citizens of Arendelle and all facts known so far about Frozen characters. This project began in 2023, almost three years ago, and will continue for future releases such as Frozen III and IV, as well as all future Frozen comics and books.

This is perhaps the most comprehensive reference for all Frozen fans and nerds, fanfic writers and analysts, who now finally have an overview of all Frozen media. The project consists of two files: the pdf book with 92 pages and the spreadsheet source file with 11 tables.

I (@bigfrozenfan) had the idea for the design of this book back in February 2024, when Disney's cookbook was first announced, with recipes from Arendelle. I will use this design for all my future projects, like I already did with Arendelle - Speculations about history (LINK). Other works are in progress, coming soon.

I first presented a table called ‘Frozen names and places’ in March 2024, which included a list of the 20 most famous kingdoms, 94 characters from books and comics, a list of 124 professions (partly based on my own assumptions) including shops in Arendelle and an initial list of popular dishes.

However, the preparatory work for this began much earlier, in 2018, when I entered my entire Disney Frozen collection in a spreadsheet and finally, in 2022, all my Frozen books, including cover images, brief information, publisher, price and ISBN numbers. The Frozen comics were added later and my digital collection grew from year to year.

In October 2023, I finally began to collect all the available character information on the Disney Frozen universe in a very comprehensive spreadsheet.

This book, “The Official Book Citizens of Arendelle”, is based on these findings, compiled from all the Frozen films, shorts, books and comics available to me.

Read on in my pdf: LINK

You can find the greatly expanded spreadsheet here: Frozen Facts Spreadsheet

It includes all known kingdoms and locations, characters with professions and where to find them, all source information, locations/shops/restaurants, dishes and other foods, all known festivals and events in Arendelle, in-universe books, fun facts and other finds. This spreadsheet is constantly being expanded and is currently in version 4. All abbreviations of mentioned books and comics in the pdf can be found in the spreadsheet too!

A total of 148 Frozen books (novels, guides and chapter books), as well as all Frozen films, shorts and audio stories were analysed for this book. In addition, 335 comics from Dark Horse, Joe Books and all comic collections available to me from Frozen magazines. The result is currently over 250 characters known by name, mostly with scanned images, and the list is sure to grow.

However, the first few pages of the book deal with the monarchs of Arendelle and how it all began.

I would like to thank my fellow editors @virtual-winter, @snowflaketale12, @sunflowers-and-sandwiches, Lilythesnowgie and many other Royal Archivists of Arendelle Archives for their help and suggestions on our Discord Server.

Disclaimer: Please don't edit the copyrighted spreadsheet file! You are not allowed to use any data shown in this file on other websites! But you are allowed to share the link to this file on my Google Drive to other fans. It took me more than two years to collect all of this data. I did this for all Frozen fans and only for private use!

And now have much fun with this project!

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 9/10

In part 9 of our 10-part anniversary series, we'll attempt to figure out when King Agnarr's birthday might be!

We got this anon question a while ago!

First and foremost, thank you for your question, anon!

Agnarr's birthday is a bit of a mystery and we can't seem to reach a consensus about it even in our server 😂 I don't recall that we have any specific mentions of when exactly during the year it might be, unlike Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Iduna's birthdays. But we will do our best to bring us closer to an answer.

The book you're thinking of is called The Mysterious Treasure (Valentina Cambi, 2022) and does indeed feature Anna and Elsa preparing for Agnarr's birthday:

Right pic above is a translation of the French version. Also, Rolf the rocking horse is there!

In the English version, the text is worded in a slightly different way:

It was a special occasion: the birthday of Elsa and Anna's father, King Agnarr. To celebrate, they headed into the castle attic to look for old memories. There, in a comer, they found a trunk that they had never seen before! "This chest belonged to Father!" Anna exclaimed, recognizing Agnarr's royal symbol carved into the lid. "What could be inside!" Olaf asked. "Let's find out!" suggested Elsa.

Neither version goes into further details about what time of year it is. And even if it did, we of course don't know exactly when his birthday is in relation to the story.

Judging from the illustrations though, the trees are fully green and there appears to be at least some flowering plants in the background. In southern Norway, trees typically turn green in late April and early May (same as in Sweden where I'm from) and start to turn yellow in late September and early October. So, solely based on the illustrations in the book, we can safely say that Agnarr's birthday is between May and September.

Several server members presented the theory that Agnarr's birthday would be on or close to the September equinox (September 21 to 24), to mirror Anna and Elsa's summer/winter solstice birthdays! Iduna's birthday is theorised to be close to the March equinox at the end of winter according to Anna and Elsa's Winter's End Festival (Amy Weingartner, 2014) and The Winter Festival (Valentina Cambi, ca. 2021) so it would give us a perfect "symmetry" of birthdays😀

The only other indicator we know of for when his birthday logically must be is that he must have turned 21 at the time of his coronation.

Dangerous Secrets (Mari Mancusi, 2020) only makes a few references to Agnarr's coronation and only in terms of being "in three years" from a time when Agnarr is 18 years old.

So, yes! The theory that King Agnarr is born near the September equinox holds up!

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 8/10

(source)

In part 8 of our 10-part anniversary series, we take a look at the newspapers and articles that have been featured in the franchise so far and see we can learn from them.

🗞️

The Arendelle Times

The very first time (to our knowledge) an Arendelle newspaper is mentioned in the franchise is in chapter 2 of the 6th Anna & Elsa-chapter book The Arendelle Cup (Erica David) from late 2015. In the book, Anna and Elsa welcome contestants of the annual sled race known as the Arendelle Cup and note that defending champions Sivoy and Suqi from the island kingdom Tikaani have arrived. They have read all about the sibling duo in the village newspaper, the Arendelle Times.

🗞️

The Southern Isles Gazette, Vol. XXI, No. 1122

1st version

Some of the first proper pieces of "Frozen news" appeared at EPCOT World Showcase in June 2016 when Frozen themes, shops and attractions were added to the park's Norway Pavilion. At the new Frozen Ever After boat ride, visitors could find a fragment of a page from a newspaper called the Southern Isles Gazette. It features an article about Prince Hans and how he was struck by an unexplained extreme weather phenomenon. This is a reference to his short cameo in Frozen Fever (2015) where he is hit by Elsa's massive snowball. From the article, we learn that Anna's birthday happened on a Tuesday.

Below it are two ads, one for the Den Dulk, Winter & Co., a hardware store for "great adventurers" that sell fine cloaks, and one for Southern Isles Apples that appear to be the nation's "most enjoyed export." As pointed out by Main Street Gazette, "Den Dulk" is most likely a reference to Michel den Dulk, a Senior Concept Designer at Walt Disney Imagineering who worked on the re-design of the Maelstrom ride into Frozen Ever After.

The page is labeled as volume 21, number 1122, which would indicate that the gazette is on its 21st publishing year and that this was the 1122nd (!) issue for the year. That's a ridiculous number, obviously. Maybe it has some other meaning that we're just missing 😂 Or perhaps it's the total number of issues since the newspaper started?

In that case, assuming that the gazette had 52 weekly (except in its first year) plus 3 special issues per year, it would have reached no. 1122 by the 25th week (around Anna's birthday at June 21st) of its 21st year.

2nd version

At some point during 2016, the news clipping was either relocated or replaced by a second version. This new page has some additional text added to the bottom. It reveals that the fine cloaks are sold at the hardware store has "very reasonable prices." A cool Easter egg is that the article on the left edge appears to be about the Frozen Ever After boat ride itself.

Below the newspaper, you can also find a flyer depicting the Duke of Weselton who is described as being banned from all commercial activity within Arendelle and not allowed to set his foot in the kingdom. From the flyer, we also learn that Arendelle is divided into provinces and waterways.

Other things found on the same billboard include ads for the Frosty Fisherman, various inventions by Oaken, "summer ice" from Kristoff and an announcement about Kristoff performing songs with his lute at the Royal Arendelle Playhouse.

The full billboard actually reveals that the different "plates" were indeed rearranged early on (the pics above and below are from 2016), as you can see the outline of the previous placements along the bottom. The Kristoff-ad appears to have been kept on the same side. Perhaps the park staff were afraid people would try prying them off the board and had to secure them more tightly? It's possible some were actually stolen which would explain why the new Southern Isles Gazette-plate has a slightly different design.

🗞️

Miscellaneous clippings and flyers from A year with Elsa & Anna

These pages are from the anthology book A year with Elsa & Anna (and Olaf, too!) (Matthew Sinclair Foreman & Erica David) from 2016). In this book, we are treated with news about the births of Princess Elsa and Anna, information about the annual Spring Flower Show (April 27th-may 7th) and Harvest festival (September 20th) as well as a random page with plenty of interesting offers. Also, making weather forecasts in Arendelle seems tricky... Also, in this book it appears Arendelle is using cents as part of their currency?

Side note: the harvest festival date can be used to determine the timeline for Frozen II.

🗞️

The Village Crown

The Village Crown is a newspaper appearing in the two novels Forest of Shadows (Kamilla Benko, 2019) and Polar Nights (Jen Calonita & Mari Mancusi, 2022). In Forest of Shadows, we meet self-proclaimed investigative reporter Wael who is openly critical of the royals' way of managing the kingdom. He appears to be running the paper all on his own.

In Polar Nights, the Village Crown is described as the official newspaper of Arendelle and that it's released on a weekly basis. The paper has an archive that stretches back to the very first issue, which Olaf guesses must be around 60 years ago.

🗞️

Miscellaneous stuff from Arendelle: A Frozen Dining Adventure

A Frozen Dining Adventure is a Frozen-themed theatrical dining experience party, running aboard the Disney Wish cruise ship since 2022. The show is centred around Anna and Kristoff's engagement party. Alongside several unique decors and set pieces in the style of the Arendelle Castle interior, you can find a billboard by the entrance with ads for fresh ice and the Frosty Fisherman, same design as in EPCOT. The EPCOT-flyer featuring the Duke of Weselton is here as well. Wandering Oaken's Heart Party Planning Services is the event business hired by Anna and Kristoff for their party. The name was reused in Jen Calonita's story Engaging Anna and Kristoff in the 2022 anthology book All is Found.

🗞️

Arendelle Daily Press, Vol. LII, No. 172

The Frozen-themed land "World of Frozen" in Hong Kong Disneyland opened in November 2023. In the Arendelle village-area, you can find a newsboard featuring the newspaper Arendelle Daily Press.

From the article about preparations for "Summer Snow Day," we learn that Wandering Oaken (his full name) has been appointed Entrepreneur of the year and that Anna and Elsa will be hosting a celebration for the people at the Ice Palace. Summer Snow Day is an annual event that honours Anna's sacrifice to save her sister and the kingdom.

There's another article about Oaken's new sleigh slide (one of the park attractions), a "reindeer-powered and snowman-operated" ride and some political news about Elsa's attempts to improve relations with the Southern Isles royal family. Prince Hans is described as being "imprisoned" and still "recovering from injuries" after the snowball incident (which remains unsolved).

The rest of the paper features ads for Kristoff's ice business, the Golden Crocus Inn, Northern Delights, Tick Tock Toys, Oaken's sleigh slide (shops and attractions in the park) and a weather forecast that looks just as unpredictable as the one in A year with Elsa and Anna, mirroring actual Norwegian mountain weather.

The newsboard stands just outside the Arendelle Daily Press "office" by the main square in Arendelle village, right next to the Golden Crocus Inn restaurant.

This newspaper has the volume number 52 and the issue number 172. The 172nd day of the year happens to be the 21st (20th if it's a leap year) of June, aka Anna's birthday! Since Summer Snow Day is said to be the day Anna saved her sister, which happened a couple of days after Coronation Day some time in July, the timeline doesn't add up perfectly but the articles also imply they're published before Summer Snow Say so there's still some headroom. If the Daily Press doesn't have an issue every Sunday, this issue would instead have a date closer to the second half of July, which would align perfectly with Coronation Day being in July!

🗞️

Miscellaneous stuff from Frozen Kingdom

Similar to "World of Frozen", "Frozen Kingdom" is a Frozen-themed land in the Fantasy Springs-area in Tokyo DisneySea that opened in June 2024. This billboard doesn't have much to offer in terms of news value but but does feature a redesigned ad for Kristoff and his lyrical lute, now said to be performing at the Shaky Ship Tavern (one of the parks restaurants). This time he's accompanied by Olaf. Guests are also invited to enjoy a banquet at the castle (also a restaurant) or to audition for the Village Band. Oaken's cold remedy is 50% discounted and you are welcome to eat at Oaken's OK Foods (the third restaurant). Gerda and Kai are giving away Elsa's old gloves for free at the castle and Kristoff is looking for a sitter for Sven. I guess he forgot he keeps Sven at the royal stables in the castle that has plenty of stable hands to care for the royal horses😄

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 7/10

For part 7 of our 10-part anniversary series, we take a look at the ancient history of Arendelle, the connections to Vikings and the legend of Aren, the Great.

This specific project was too big for a standard Tumblr post and most of the content would be hidden below the cut. So I decided to use my project book format as PDF-file with 16 pages in total, plus external link to a high resolution picture that Tumblr wouldn't show in it's full size, besides all the formatting :-)

This is a follow-up to the project "How old is Arendelle?"

You can all guess that this is not a real history lesson with real characters and events, etc. This is about Disney's fictional kingdom of Arendelle, whose position on the world map is based on real-life Norway in the mid-19th century, with models in architecture, flora and fauna, unique fjords, typical weather conditions for this area, traditions and behaviours, traditional dishes, design and much more, down to the smallest details.

Most of you are satisfied with the Frozen films, some of you also read the additional novels and sometimes the countless comics, but very few of you question Arendelle's worldview and what lies behind it, or want to spend your free time doing time-consuming research. This is where we at “Arendelle Archives” come in, taking you deeper down the rabbit hole and presenting you with amazing facts, findings, analyses and speculations that many of you have never even dreamed of.

You are all familiar with the name “Arendelle” and some of you also know the name “Arenfjord”, where the royal castle and the picturesque town behind it are located. But do you notice anything here? It is the name “Aren“, and there is a fictional story behind it, a story about the namesake whose traces actually seem to lead back to our own past. Well, not really, but Disney has used many references from past centuries and shown them everywhere as little clues in the films. It's about the Vikings. And it's about Aren the Great. Incidentally, “Aren” is said to be derived from “Ørn”, which means “eagle” in Norwegian.

The Old Norse name for Arendelle is Àrnadalr, which very conveniently aligns with "Arn" being an Old Norse word for "eagle". So, it's possible Aren was originally named Arn.

We've all seen it, or at least noticed it subliminally, in all the Frozen films and short films, Frozen 1, Frozen Fever, OFA, with the exception of Frozen 2. Even in the sequels Frozen 3+4, currently in production, there is a hidden reference to Vikings in Brittney Lee's concept art, albeit with a misrepresented helmet. Vikings never wore such horns on their helmets, if at all.

But that is not the subject here. Rather, it is the history of Arendelle, dating back to the kingdom's beginnings with its founder, Aren the Great, who landed with the first settlers on the coast of the land that would later be named after him.

Read on in my pdf: LINK

About Arendelle Archives Chats on Discord It's often about pretty nerdy stuff, and sometimes I can really let loose about things I can't talk about anywhere else, or because nowhere else anyone would listen to me. Most of the time it's really fun, and before I started this project, Aren was always one of my favourite topics, for me on Discord already since 2020. Last year in May and August, as well as this year, I even speculated in our chat that Ahtohallan had taken notice of Arendelle's founding father and had something very special in mind for him, something I even used in my fanfic novel.

Virtual Winter made some very interesting drawings for the chat back in July 2022, referring to Aren, the Great. I got the permission to post it here now.

Update and last addition, found by @virtual-winter

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 6/10

For Part 6 of our 10-part anniversary series, we take a closer look at the secret room in the Royal Library.

In the movies, we only see the library itself—such as the place where young Anna plays during Do You Want to Build a Snowman, or the charades scene in Frozen 2. 

However, there’s actually a secret room hidden within the library based on various novels.

So, what is this secret room for?

The secret room in the Royal Library, as described in several novels, is a hidden, windowless chamber filled with magical artifacts and ancient texts from around the world.

How was the secret room discovered?

The secret room was first discovered by Agnarr and Iduna in the novel Dangerous Secrets (2020), while they were searching for the book The Little Mermaid in the library. Iduna accidentally collided with a horse statue resembling the Water Nokk.

The statue toppled over, triggering a hidden mechanism that revealed a secret passage behind a bookcase. Inside, they found a portrait of Agnarr’s mother and a map leading to the Valley of the Living Rock.

In Forest of Shadows (2019), Anna and Olaf rediscover the secret room while searching for a cure for the Blight affecting Arendelle. Anna notices a hidden mechanism behind a stone horse statue, which opens a passageway to the secret chamber. Inside, they find a large collection of magical books and artifacts, including titles like Scrolls of Trolls, Quests of Yore, and The Alchemist’s Almanac.

Most notably, Anna finds Secrets of the Magic Makers, a book containing legends, maps, and a glossary of mythical creatures—with handwritten notes from Queen Iduna, revealing her connection to the room. This book unintentionally unleashes chaos, deepening the mystery surrounding the secret chamber.

In Polar Nights (2022), Anna and Olaf return to the secret room in search of information about the draugr as Anna remembers having read about the creature in a book hidden within the chamber.

After searching through the room’s collection, they find a book titled Of Nightmares and Nixies. Flipping through its pages, Anna locates a section on draugrs and comes across a sketch of a decaying, ghostly figure in tattered clothing.

In the podcast Forces of Nature (2023), the secret room is mentioned one last time when Anna brings Disa there to research magic in hopes of helping her protect Sankershus from natural disasters. As they descend into the dark, cold, and hidden chamber, Anna lights candles to reveal shelves filled with rare magical books and artifacts from around the world. She encourages Disa to explore the collection, hoping it will offer the knowledge needed to better prepare for future threats.

And last, it was mentioned in Deleted Scenes ‘The Secret Rooms’ (Video: Source) as well. Elsa and Anna discover a secret room with magical texts and a journal about Elsa’s powers. They realize it belonged to their mother, Queen Iduna, and are shocked to learn she spoke the forbidden Northuldran language.

The only room in the Frozen movies that might be the secret room is where Agnarr finds the map of the Valley of the Living Rock in Frozen 1.

However, both Frozen 1: The Junior Novelization (2013) and Conceal, Don’t Feel (2019) identify this location simply as the library, with no mention of a secret room.

In contrast, Dangerous Secrets states that the secret room is where Agnarr and Iduna found the map, leading to speculation that the two rooms may be the same. Still, this connection remains unconfirmed.

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 5/10

For part 5 in our 10-part anniversary series, I'm bringing back a discussion we had in our Arendelle Archives discord server in August 2024.

The chapter book Anna & Elsa #2 - Memory and magic (Erica David, 2015) is an early little treasure of a story. It contains one of my favourite Anna and Elsa-moments from any Frozen story. In chapter 5, Anna is confronting her sister about what happened the night she lost her memories. But after the two have a talk about it, Anna understands what happened. Elsa had decided to hide as a means to make sure Anna stayed safe 😭🥹

When re-reading this book, I came across THIS very interesting paragraph in chapter 8:

The queen had loved to fish with her family since she was a little girl. She was good at it, too. She was proud to pass on the tradition to her daughters.

Now, take into account that this book was written WAY before Iduna's past was figured out, but doesn't this sound like something she would have definitely learned together with her Northuldra family?

Next page brings up something equally interesting:

The queen was away visiting relatives.

For obvious reasons, when this was written, David would not be referring to Iduna's actual family but rather to some imaginary family members that are never seen or talked about again. Besides this comment about "relatives", I don't think Iduna's past was ever even hinted at before Frozen II (except in Once Upon a Time, of course). And given that F2 gave Iduna a background as Northuldra, the movie would have retconned any previous ideas any writer or editor might have had about her past. But WITH the context of F2 and more specifically the novel Dangerous Secrets in mind, does the comment from the book mean anything?

This is my interpretation:

The first paragraph about her being good at fishing is actually given a lot more (although unintentional) substance, as fishing was definitely something she would have learned with her nomad family. Not just as a simple leisure activity, but as a necessary part of her family's life. There are a couple of other stories where some emphasis is put on Iduna's love for the outdoors. Most notably in DS but also in the chapter book Elsa's icy rescue where she is shown to enjoy nature trips and where she "can't wait to put [her] toes in the water" of the fjord.

There is also the graphic novel True treasure where Iduna is seen taking the girls for trips through the woods (after the accident) and where Elsa says to Anna "you know how Mother was about nature--she probably thought every tree was the greatest for one reason or another".

Iduna's background with her nomad tribe sure starts to make a lot of sense. For the second line, how would she be able to visit "relatives" when we know she has no family in Arendelle? We need to remember that the memory that the book describes is told from young Anna and Elsa's perspective. They would only know what their parents told them. I believe this easily could be connected with their trips to the mist wall, or perhaps just be a cover story for some other important trip (would not be the last time).

According to Dangerous Secrets chapter 43, at this point in time Agnarr and Iduna simply sent a scout to check on the mist:

Now we were busy, ruling a kingdom, parenting two little girls. We did still send a patrol to the mists every six months, but they always came back with the same news.

But what if this was a rare exception? Maybe Iduna had felt she wanted to go this time? Of course, she had not told Agnarr her secret yet. Heck, Agnarr hadn't even told the girls about the mist yet! So, to simply say Iduna was away "visiting relatives" was a story as good as any to explain why she was gone temporarily. BUUUT, in a way, saying she was visiting relatives wouldn't even too far from the truth! As far as Agnarr knew, Iduna's parents were still trapped behind the mist. And as far as Iduna knew, it was her foster parents who were there!

Some alternate interpretations of Iduna’s trip that were suggested in our server:

She was visiting Agnarr’s side of the family, a visit he didn’t go on because of kingly duties

She was managing her windmill business

She was visiting the orphanage. She could technically consider them relatives because that’s where she lived for a significant portion of her life

She was visiting the trolls.

/Virtual Winter

[arendelle-archives]

🎤❄️JOIN OUR FROZEN-INSPIRED MUSICAL PROJECT!❄️🎶

Are you a fan of Frozen, music, and creativity? We're working on a song adaptation in the style of "We Don’t Talk About Bruno" — and we want YOU to be part of it!

🧊❗The concept: The song will be sung by different characters from the Frozen universe — including characters from "Dangerous Secrets" and "Polar Nights: Cast Into Darkness".

Each character will express the emotional weight of their personal experiences with King Runeard — the pain, the trauma, and the lasting damage his legacy caused in their lives, relationships, and kingdoms.

This is a chance to give voice to the untold truths of the past, in a dramatic and powerful tribute filled with music and heart.

🧊🎬Who we’re looking for:

✨A team of lyric adapters to adapt the song. Rhythm, rhyme, and meaning matter — the more creative minds, the better!

Project members: - Virtual Winter - Luna Roberts - Sarra

✨2 to 3 illustrators to bring our characters and scenes to life.

✨8 singers with good pitch, energy, and passion. You don’t need to be a pro — just committed and excited!

The following characters will be featured: - Anna - Elsa - Iduna: Sarra - Agnarr: - Red: Luna - Mattias: - Yelena: - Stig Petter: - Queen Rita: - Kristoff:

✨2 to 3 image/video editors to help create promotional visuals and edit the final video.

📹What we’re making: An original Frozen-themed song with voices, drawings, and lots of emotion! The final video will be shared on social media and YouTube, with full credit to every collaborator.

💌Interested in joining? Comment or DM us — we’d love to have you on the team!

Let’s bring the magic of music and ice to life together!🩵❄️🎶

📧Contact info:

Tumblr: @queenritaofarendelle @virtual-winter IG: @carocamila_11 @virtualwinterswe Reddit: u/CaroCamila11, u/ImWaitingForWinter

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 4/10

For part 4 of our 10-part anniversary series, we take a look at a collection of Norwegian mountain peaks that could have inspired the North Mountain.

Back in 2021, I (as @virtual-winter) completed an analysis project that explored the geography of Frozen and what real-life places inspired the movies. One of these places was naturally the North Mountain (Nordfjell in Norwegian), the monolith that towers over Arendelle.

Having followed the fandom for many years, I had already seen plenty of examples of possible candidates for the inspiration behind the mountain (some of them I think were presented by the blog @findingarendelle).

For the first and second versions of my own project, I gathered a collection of the most recognizable peaks in Norway and concluded that the mountain in Frozen was probably a combination of several of them. The most obvious candidate was Stetinden, the most iconic of the bunch and recognised as Norway's national mountain since 2002.

In order of appearance (left to right): Stetinden Innerdalstårnet Hamarøyskaftet Tilthornet Segla

All of them (except Innerdalstårnet) are located in Nordland county in northern Norway.

It wasn't until earlier this year when I revisited some of my old work and took a closer look at some of the peaks that i noticed something very peculiar about Hamarøyskaftet. I had even excluded this one in the second version of my project in favour of Segla. However, it turned out i had just been (litellary) looking at it from the wrong angle.

Short background: Hamarøyskaftet is a 612-meter tall mountain in Hamarøy Municipality in Nordland county, Northern Norway. Despite being one of the lower peaks of the Hamarøytindarna range, it easily stands out as one of the most eye-catching mountains in the region.

Let's look at some close-up shots.

IDK about you but this peak literally screams "North Mountain" to me!

Group photo:

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 3/10

Part 3 of our 10-part anniversary series takes a closer look at the question: “How long did it take to build king Runeard's dam?”

1. In Frozen II, it is mentioned that the people attended the grand celebration for the dam’s completion. In Frozen II: The Magical Guide (2019), it is stated that Prince Agnarr was 14 years old at the time.

2. In Dangerous Secrets (2020), it is mentioned that the plan to build the dam existed long before Agnarr was born.

3. In Polar Nights (2022), it is stated that the dam was built "almost fifty years ago."

Following the battle of the Enchanted Forest, the dam was sealed off from the outside world for almost 34 ½ years. If we place the events of Frozen II in fall of 1846, the dam must have been completed in the spring of 1812.

According to Polar Nights, construction had not yet begun 50 years before Frozen II, placing the earliest possible start date around 1796. While Agnarr was likely born around 1798, that would mean the dam was indeed already in the planning phase a few years before his birth, confirming what was stated in Dangerous Secrets.

This marks one of the rare occasions when timelines introduced in different Frozen-works actually add up! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From this, we can reasonably conclude that construction of the dam likely began between 1796 and 1797 and was completed by 1812, making it a maximum 16-year project.

The dam's construction and possible function

Constructing a dam of this scale in the early 19th century would have required many years, especially considering the limited technology of the time and would have been a massive undertaking for a small Scandinavian kingdom. Polar Nights explains that King Runeard sought financial support for the project from other neighboring kingdoms. However, he was stumped of support or official approval from their important ally Vesterland, which would have made it even more challenging to secure the necessary funding, labor, and resources.

Different ideas have been proposed for what the actual purpose of the dam was (besides the hidden scheme of weakening the lands of the Northuldra). The Frozen II junior Novelization (2019) states that its main function was to act as a bridge to connect the lands of the Northuldra:

According to Dangerous Secrets, the dam was built to serve as a water reservoir:

In mid 19th century Norway, before the emergence of hydroelectric power plants, one of the main drivers for constructing dams was to feed the ice trade business with larger fresh water sources. These dams were typically built close to the sea and shipping lanes. Norway was a major supplier of natural ice to Britain and western Europe between 1850-1914.

Judging from a few plots involving trade in the Anna & Elsa-book series (2015-2017) as well as the graphic novel Breaking Boundaries (2018), Arendelle appears to be a pretty big player in the regional ice trade and is known to export ice to the kingdoms of Eldora, Vakretta and Weselton. Pairing this with the dam's location close to the sea, it's very likely it was built to further expand Arendelle's ice trade business.

The fact that Runeard wanted support from other nations might suggest he intended to share some of the profit from the expanded ice trade. But due to the dam being lost to the mist at the day of its inauguration, the dam would never generate any profit and likely became a huge financial loss for Arendelle (alongside the loss of many soldiers and the king himself), affecting its finances and reputation for years to come.

Real world inspiration

The dam and its role in the movie draws inspiration from real-world history. It closely parallels the planning and construction of the Alta Dam in Kautokeino, Norway (Altademningen), which began construction in 1979. It is the tallest dam in Norway, standing 145 m tall. Despite being built in the modern era, the project faced significant delays due to protests from both local Sámi residents and environmental groups and was only completed in 1987, taking 8 years in total.

The Alta controversy was also referenced in Polar Nights where Princess Inger of Vesterland strongly opposes Runeard's plans due to how the dam would affect the environment.

The design seen in Frozen II is heavily inspired by its IRL counterpart.

Location

By geo-referencing the Frozen map found at the main restaurant at Frozen Kingdom (Tokyo), we've estimated that the reservoir behind the dam is around 15 km long which is close to the 18 km long (but much narrower) Virdnejávri in Alta.

Using the same tool, we can also conclude that the dam is located ca 119 km to the north of Arendelle Castle. When transporting material, tools and workers to the construction site, it is very likely that most of the travels were done by ship.

Concept art

Below, we've gathered some concept art relating to the dam. (I'm pretty sure these were posted by @theartoffrozen and @lovewillthaw-j ages ago)

Different versions of the dam. Artist: Jim Martin

The Arendelle soldier camp (only featured in Dangerous Secrets). Artist: Jim Finn

"Deconstructing Destruction - Making and Breaking of Frozen II's Dam" Artists: Charlie Scott, Sean Jenkins, Lance Summers & Marie Tollec

[arendelle-archives]

Arendelle Archives 4-year-anniversary countdown - 2/10

This is part 2 of our 10-part anniversary series. This time, we're exploring four times when Arendelle was subject to floods!

🌊

The Sankershus Flood

Featured in: The Shifting Shores of Sankershus (by Georgia Ball, 2016)

Heavy rains have plagued the village of Sankershus for months, causing the Skiftende River to swell and the hillsides to become unstable. Family man Klaus decides to travel to Arendelle to seek help from the royals.

In the capital, preparations for Midsummer 's Day are under way. Klaus asks Elsa and Anna to come with him to Sankershus and assess the situation. Elsa declares that the village needs to be relocated ASAP because it's not safe anymore.

The villagers are given temporary residences in Arendelle. As the sisters help Klaus and his family gather their final belongings, they are almost caught off guard by the rising waters. Luckily, they have a queen with magic on their side.

This story was the origin of the name "Sankershus", nowadays known from its second incarnation in the "Forces of Nature" podcast where instead of being an Arendellian village it is an independent island kingdom.

🌊

The River Flood

Featured in: Flood Danger (by Tea Orsi, unknown year)

When returning home from a mountain hike, Anna, Elsa and Co. are surprised by a rainstorm and seek shelter at a small farmhouse. Inside, they find the farmer couple who are preparing to abandon their property. They fear the river will soon flood both their fields and their house.

Luckily, Elsa knows how to save the day!

🌊

The Great Arendelle Flood

Featured in: True Treasure (by Joe Caramagna, 2019)

Approximately 20 years (give or take) before Frozen, parts of Arendelle were hit by an event that became known as the "Great Arendelle Flood" which supposedly left a lot of citizens homeless. As explained by a couple of locals, Agnarr and Iduna kindly offered to house some of the homeless people in the castle until their homes could be rebuilt. This very much mirrors the (chronologically) later events of the Sankershus Flood when the families from the doomed village were also allowed to stay in the capital.

The inclusion of a "great flood" in this story (released in November 2019) was possibly meant to foreshadow the events of Frozen II.

🌊

The Frozen II Tidal Wave

Needs no explanation, really. But it makes you wonder what went through King Runeard's head when he decided to construct a dam in a location that would put Arendelle in grave danger should it ever fail...

Path of the tidal wave (blue) and Elsa/Nøkk (white)