Arendelle

## Story

The oldest known monarchs of Arendelle were King Runeard and Queen Rita. Succeeding them was their son King Agnarr, who married Iduna, who was a member of the northern tribe Northuldra. On the winter solstice, Iduna gave birth to Elsa, who was gifted with the ability to manipulate ice and snow. Three years later, on the summer solstice, Iduna had her second child, Anna, who lacked any magical abilities.

Due to the unstable nature of Elsa's powers, the castle was closed off for thirteen years, per Agnarr's orders; this was done for Elsa's safety, as well as the safety of Arendelle's populace.

During Elsa and Anna's teenage years, Agnarr and Iduna perished in a storm at sea. Unknown to anyone at the time, it was during an attempt by the Arendellian sovereigns to find the source of Elsa's magic, believing it to be located in the legendary glacier Ahtohallan. Before their ship went down, Iduna stored the information regarding their trip in the waterproof compartment so if the ship ever washed ashore, someone would be able to find it, possibly their daughters, and finish what they started.

Three years after their deaths, on the day of Elsa's coronation, her magical abilities were unintentionally exposed to the public by Anna. Upon running away, Elsa accidentally sets off an eternal winter that consumes the kingdom. While Anna searched for Elsa to end the curse, Hans—a visiting prince from the Southern Isles to whom Anna had been engaged—took on the task of governing the kingdom in her absence.

Unbeknownst to either Anna or Elsa, Hans had hidden agendas to eventually usurp the throne to rule as king. After Elsa's incarceration as punishment for her curse, and Anna's supposed death as a result of a curse accidentally inflicted by Elsa, Hans became the illegitimate king of Arendelle, fooling the citizens into believing he and Anna married prior to her death, leaving the kingdom in his hands.

Towards the end of the film, thanks to Anna's efforts and love for her sister, Elsa found the capacity to undo the eternal winter and peace was restored to the kingdom; Hans was sent back to his homeland to face punishment for his actions of treason against the princess and queen, trade was cut with the neighboring kingdom of Weselton as their duke led an assassination plot against Elsa during the eternal winter, and Elsa regained her position as reigning monarch.

Three years later, the kingdom of Arendelle was at peace, filled with happy citizens who reaped the benefits of a kingdom of plenty, and Elsa was a highly respected and loved ruler. One fall night, however, the kingdom was jeopardized by the elemental spirits of the Enchanted Forest, who sapped the kingdom's natural elements, forcing everyone to evacuate. Elsa, Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven led a dangerous journey into the forest to find the source of the threat to Arendelle, while the citizens were watched over by the trolls and Grand Pabbie.

The journey was ultimately successful, as they learned that the spirits were angered over a 34-year-old conflict between Arendelle and the Northuldra that had been instigated by Runeard when he built a dam in the forest and started a war with the tribe, causing the forest to be covered by an impenetrable mist. Anna led the Earth Giants to destroy the dam, which lifted the mist, but also sent a large wave which threatened to destroy Arendelle. Elsa used her ice magic to freeze and dissipate the wave, saving Arendelle. With the curse broken, the elemental spirits' anger was sated and Arendelle was returned to its former glory.

Having found her place in the Enchanted Forest, Elsa stood down as queen, appointing her sister as monarch. Following Anna's coronation as the new queen of Arendelle and Elsa’s newfound purpose as the Fifth Spirit, the peace between the Arendellians and the Northuldra that had been destroyed by Runeard's actions was restored and the two cultures lived together in harmony, aided by the fact that Anna and Elsa each lived with one of the groups to help maintain peace and harmony, united in love.

## Trivia

* The name 'Arendelle' is based on the Norwegian town of Arendal, located in the county of Aust-Agder, to the southwest of the Norwegian capital, Oslo. However, the scenery of Arendelle is based primarily on Nærøyfjord in western Norway, as well as various buildings in Oslo, Bergen, and other Norwegian cities.
* Arendelle's name is also similar to that of Arundel, an English market town and civil parish in a steep vale of the South Downs, West Sussex. The name was spelled 'Arundell' until 1733, when the final l was dropped. Arundel is home to Arundel Castle, seat of the Duke of Norfolk; and to Arundel Cathedral, seat of the (Catholic) Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
* In Norwegian, 'Aren' is possibly derived from 'ørn', which means "eagle", and 'delle' is derived from 'dal', which means "valley". Thus, the literal translation is "eagle valley".

* The demonym of Arendelle is 'Arendellian'.

* Elsa abdicates the throne at the end of *Frozen II*, leaving Anna to become the new queen of Arendelle.