Arendelle



Arendelle is a kingdom based on the Arenfjord, from which its name is taken, nestled among the mountains of the far north. The kingdom is ruled by Queen Anna, who ascended to the throne after the abdication of her sister, Queen Elsa.

History
After ascending to the throne, King Agnarr proved himself to be a wise and generous ruler. During Agnarr's reign, the royal family was comprised of himself, Queen Iduna, and their daughters, Elsa and Anna. Elsa was born with the power to produce and control ice and snow; one night, she accidentally injured Anna with her magic. Though Anna recovered, Agnarr decided to close the castle to keep Elsa's magic hidden from everyone. For the next thirteen years, the rest of the kingdom and other lands were denied access to the castle. Ten years into this period, Agnarr and Iduna died during a voyage at sea, leaving Arendelle without a monarch.

Three years after Agnarr and Iduna's deaths, Elsa was old enough to ascend to Arendelle's throne. To honor the occasion, the gates to the castle were to be open for the day; many representatives from other lands, such as the Duke of Weselton and the dignitaries, came to Arendelle to witness Elsa's coronation. However, following her inauguration, Elsa exposed her magic and fled Arendelle, unintentionally triggering a severe winter that froze the entire kingdom. Volunteering to retrieve her sister, Anna left Hans in charge of the kingdom during her absence. Unbeknownst to Anna, Hans planned to usurp Arendelle's throne and came close to realizing his goals by purporting that Elsa had killed the princess, which led to the prince garnering support for Elsa's execution. But ultimately, Hans' schemes were stopped by Anna, and after understanding how to control her powers, Elsa undid the spell of eternal winter plaguing Arendelle. With the kingdom restored to peace, Elsa resumed her duties as queen.

Three years later, Elsa inadvertently awoke the spirits of Enchanted Forest, endangering Arendelle. This caused the elements to become disturbed: the fires of the kingdom went out, the water disappeared, the wind whipped up into a gale and the cobblestones began to shift under the citizens' feet. The residents took refuge on a cliff just outside the walls of the city. Elsa and Anna then set off to find out what had happened and save the kingdom.

The sisters discovered that the only way to break the curse on Arendelle was to destroy King Runeard's dam. Although this would correct the wrongs of the past, it would also send a wave down the Arenfjord which would wash away Arendelle. Despite this, Anna destroyed the dam, with the ensuing wave careening its way towards Arendelle. The citizens watched in astonishment from the cliffs; however, Elsa was able to make it back to the kingdom in time and halt the wave's advance, saving the town and castle. Arendelle had the elements restored to it, and was safe once more.

Following these events, Elsa abdicated as queen in favor of her sister, who she believed was the best person to protect Arendelle. A statue of a young Agnarr and Iduna was erected in the town square to celebrate the new connection between the people of Arendelle and the Northuldra.

Monarchs of Arendelle
In order, these were the known monarchs who ruled Arendelle (excluding consorts).

Official crest


The official crest of Arendelle is the crocus, which has a ubiquitous presence on banners, capes, uniforms, wallpaper, and jewelry. The crest features the colors green, purple, and yellow. Official designs usually have a golden-yellow crocus with three petals and two leaves emblazoned upon a split background with purple on the left and green on the right.

Geography


Arendelle is located near a fjord, making it a viable trading center. Its human population is densely concentrated within the castle perimeter, although there is minor human activity in the forest areas outside Arendelle.

There are also non-human populations, such as wolves in the forest and trolls in the Valley of the Living Rock. In addition to the fjord and forest area, Arendelle is also surrounded by a vast mountain range that includes the North Mountain.

The kingdom is subject to the succession of the seasons, having both warm summers and frigid winters. In the winter, there is a noticeable decrease in plant life and animal activity. However, in the summer, Arendelle's ecosystems flourish, with lush vegetation covering the cliff sides and flowers growing plentifully. Birds are also highly active around this time of year.

Arendelle is also in a position that is conducive for observing the aurora borealis.

Government


Arendelle is a small kingdom ruled by a monarch. At the time of her twenty-first birthday, Elsa was coronated as Queen of Arendelle, succeeding her father, King Agnarr, as the ruler of the kingdom. Following her sister's flight from the kingdom, Anna assumed control and was capable of placing Hans in charge when she departed to retrieve Elsa.

Arendelle's monarch possesses significant political power across Arendelle and is able to almost unilaterally make decisions regarding the kingdom. The reigning monarch has full control over diplomatic affairs, and is also able to appoint officials and create new positions.

Though the bishop does not appear to hold any direct political power, he is responsible for heading the coronation ceremony and thus bears the responsibility of bestowing the right to rule upon an individual. The coronation ceremony is a symbolic event in which the prospective monarch must grasp Arendelle's regalia and face their subjects while the bishop ordains the new monarch in Old Norse.

Trivia

 * Arendelle's appearance was based on the Norwegian villages of Balestrand and Bergen.
 * The appearance of the fjord is based on the Nærøyfjord, located near the Norwegian municipality of Aurland.
 * Arendelle's crest can be seen during the credits; it appears during the "Cast" section.
 * The decorative designs emblazoned throughout the architecture in Arendelle was based on the Norwegian concept of rosemaling. Rosemaling is a Norwegian folk art that focuses on using stylized flower ornamentation. This flower motif also presents itself on clothing (i.e. Anna and Elsa's coronation attire) and even extends to Elsa's magic.
 * Arendelle's name is similar to that of the Norwegian town of Arendal, though the latter is not located near a fjord.
 * Arendelle's name is also similar to that of Arundel, the first name of Walt Disney's great-grandfather. It is also the name of an English market town and civil parish in a steep vale of the South Downs, West Sussex. Arundel is home to Arundel Castle, seat of the Duke of Norfolk, and to Arundel Cathedral, seat of the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton.
 * Arendelle has a royal anthem.