King Agnarr is a minor character in Disney's 2013 animated feature film Frozen and its 2019 sequel. He was the ruler of Arendelle, who had been named king at a young age after the sudden passing of his father. In the years that followed, Agnarr would marry his childhood friend Iduna, with whom he fathered two daughters, Elsa and Anna.
Contents
Background
Prince Agnarr was born as the only child and heir to King Runeard and Queen Rita of Arendelle. When Agnarr was five years old,[2] Rita went to the Valley of the Living Rock and begged Pabbie, the leader of the trolls that inhabited said valley, to remove her memories of her life in Arendelle. She had this done as she saw it as the only way she could freely abandon her arranged, loveless marriage to Runeard, and she fled for good upon having her memories wiped. Though she loved Agnarr, Rita knew that she could not take him with her since Runeard would follow them, with the worst possibilities being that he would start a war with her home kingdom, leading to many innocent people dying, just to bring Agnarr back to Arendelle.[3] However, just before she had her memories erased, Rita requested to see Agnarr’s future self, which would foretell he would get married to a woman named Iduna and that Agnarr would come to ask the trolls to save his youngest daughter’s life.[4] One of the last remaining mementos Agnarr had from his mother was Sir JorgenBjorgen, a stuffed puffin doll she had made for him when he was a baby.[5] Although Runeard locked away all of Rita's belongings following her departure, the castle servant Gerda found and secretly hid the doll from the king.[5] When Agnarr was a young adult, Gerda returned Sir JorgenBjorgen to him,[6] and he later gave the doll to his oldest daughter.[7]
At some point following his mother's disappearance, Agnarr was assigned an official guard in Lieutenant Mattias, though this was done primarily to keep Agnarr occupied since Runeard wanted his son out of his way and did not want to be responsible for his welfare. When he was fourteen years old,[8][9] Agnarr accompanied his father on an expedition to the Enchanted Forest, north of his kingdom, where a celebration was to be held to honor the unity between Arendelle and the Northuldra tribe. Agnarr was enraptured by the elemental spirits that dwelled within the forest, referring to the atmosphere as “magical”. Suddenly, a war broke out between the Arendellians and the Northuldra, during which Runeard was killed. This caused the normally peaceful spirits to turn against the humans that had brought violence to their land. Agnarr was knocked unconscious in the midst of the chaos, but was rescued by a mysterious girl and safely returned to Arendelle. With his father dead, Agnarr was named as the new king of Arendelle, though due to his young age, he would not be officially crowned king until he turned 21.[9] For the next seven years, an advisor of Runeard named Lord Peterssen acted as Arendelle's regent and worked alongside Agnarr in ruling the kingdom until the latter came of age and had his coronation.[9]
In the years that followed, Agnarr befriended a commoner named Iduna. The two fell in love and eventually married, making Iduna the Queen of Arendelle. Unbeknownst to Agnarr, Iduna is actually a Northuldran and was the girl that rescued him on the day of his father’s death. Because of the kingdom's negative feelings towards the Northuldra, Iduna kept her heritage a secret for many years.
Agnarr and Iduna’s oldest daughter Elsa was born with the power to control ice and snow. Neither Agnarr, Iduna, or their second-born daughter Anna possessed magical abilities of their own, singling Elsa until she would later discover her powers were a gift from the spirits of the Enchanted Forest in gratitude for Iduna’s selfless act of rescuing Agnarr in her youth.
Personality
Judging by how he presents himself, Agnarr is learned, kind, powerful, and diligent. His personality is further explored in the novel A Frozen Heart, where it is revealed that Agnarr had the tendency to spoil his daughters, and had a difficult time legitimately punishing them when they misbehave.[10] Whenever he loses his temper, Iduna was able to calm his nerves.[10]
Agnarr's primary concern was his daughters. He was willing to make large sacrifices to ensure their safety. He was acceptant of his elder daughter, with or without magic, fearing not her powers but rather the hardships that may befall Elsa, and Anna to an extent, should they remain unchecked. In fact, he appeared optimistic that she would one day learn to control her abilities, meaning that the drastic isolation was only temporary.
As a child, Agnarr was fascinated by magic, due in large part to having witnessed the spirits of the Enchanted Forest and the Northuldra. After the war between Arendelle and the Northuldra, which resulted in the spirits ruthlessly turning their magic against humanity, Agnarr developed a deep-rooted fear of magic. He pegged the Enchanted Forest as dangerous and warned his daughters that its nature was not to be taken lightly. This fear would later influence Agnarr’s parenting, regarding his handling of Elsa’s powers.
Despite this, Agnarr did accept Elsa's powers and his desire to handle and help Elsa control her powers were out of devotion and love. Agnarr wanted to be the best father to his daughters and not like the kind of parent his own father was to him in his childhood, as well as the best husband to Iduna and unlike the awful husband his father was to his mother. However, over the years, Agnarr came to realize that his decision to keep his family isolated only drifted them apart as Elsa grew extremely fearful of herself and her powers while Anna became lonely and started craving for other people's affections. After years of confinement, Agnarr had enough of keeping his daughters isolated where he and his wife decided to search for Ahtohallan to find answers on Elsa's powers, not only to help her, but to reunite her and Anna, which sadly led to his and his wife's deaths.
Name
The king's name was not in the film's credits but is written in the Runic alphabet on his memorial stone markers. According to that, his name is Agðar[11] (English: Agdar/Agnarr).
- The King's Name: Agðar can be anglicized as Agdar. Agðar is a male form of Agða, a short form of Agatha, meaning 'good, honorable', Agdar is a popular name in Norway. The name Agdar means 'brave warrior' in Norse and from Greek agathos, meaning 'good'.
- Due to the Runic alphabet, the king's name can also be read as Akðar or Akthar. Some believe it could be the name Akhtar, which means 'star' and 'good luck'. The latter name is found in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as Iran as a surname thus making it unlikely to be the given name of a Nordic King.
In the book Anna & Elsa: Childhood Times, his official name is roughly the same as the translation, though slightly anglicized as Agnarr.[12] Agnarr's name was finally confirmed by the filmmakers in Frozen II, where he is called or referred to as Agnarr once by his father, twice by Lieutenant Mattias, and once by Iduna just before their deaths by the storm.
Appearances
Frozen
Agnarr teaches Elsa to conceal, don't feel.
In the middle of the night, Elsa and Anna sneak into the Grand Hall to create a winter wonderland for their enjoyment. But during their playtime, Elsa accidentally hits Anna in the head with her powers, rendering the latter unconscious. Agnarr and Iduna quickly arrive onto the scene upon hearing Elsa's distress call. Agnarr uncovers a map leading to a valley inhabited by magical, healing trolls. The king of the trolls, Grand Pabbie, cleanses Anna's body of all magic, including memories of magic, meaning Anna will have no memory of Elsa's powers. Pabbie then informs the royal family that, while Elsa's magic is beautiful, she must learn to control it and not let fear consume her; should she do otherwise, horrible events may occur. Agnarr nevertheless assures his wife that Anna will be protected, and Elsa will eventually learn to control her abilities.
Having taken Pabbie's saying of "fear will be your enemy" literally, Agnarr limits Elsa's contact with others by separating her and Anna and reducing the castle staff. He also locked the castle gates, limiting contact between the castle and the outside world. As the years pass by and Elsa grows, Agnarr works with Elsa to better control her abilities, teaching her to conceal her powers by concealing her emotions. To further help, Agnarr instructs Elsa to wear gloves, and repeats his father's mantra, "Conceal it, don't feel it, don't let it show", which Elsa would carry into adulthood.
The King and Queen's vessel moments before it was sunk.
Ten years later, Agnarr and Iduna set off on a two-week sea voyage. During a storm, they are drowned at sea by monstrous waves. Anna and all the people of Arendelle mourn their deaths (a portrait of the royal couple is draped over with a black sheet of fabric), but Elsa does not attend the funeral. Due to the untimely tragedy, Elsa's training was left incomplete, her powers still mostly out of her control.
Agnarr appears later in the film; in a painting of his own coronation seen hanging in the library of the castle when Elsa is trying to control her powers, and again when Prince Hans betrays Anna in order to take over the kingdom. He and Iduna are indirectly mentioned when Kristoff asks Anna during their argument over Anna getting engaged to Hans after just meeting him, "Didn't your parents ever warn you about strangers?" to which Anna replies (rather uncomfortably), "Yes, they did." while slowly moving away from him.
Olaf's Frozen Adventure
Agnarr and Iduna briefly appear in Elsa's flashback during the reprise of "Ring in the Season". When Anna asks Elsa if their family has any holiday traditions, the only instance that Elsa could recall was the annual ringing of the Yule bell, although Anna pointed out that the Yule bell ceremony was more for the kingdom, rather than something personal to their family.
Frozen II
Agnarr recalls his encounter with the Enchanted Forest with Elsa and Anna.
Agnarr first appears in the prologue, as he tells the girls the story of an enchanted forest he saw in his youth. He recounts the war that had broken out between Arendelle and the Northuldra tribe, during which his father fell to his death, and how the fighting angered the spirits of the forest. He also recalls being rescued by a mysterious figure and returned home safely where he was named the new king of Arendelle. Agnarr explains that the forest was sealed off by an impenetrable mist, meaning Arendelle is safe. However, he warns his daughters that the forest could reawaken and that they must be prepared to face the danger it might bring.
Years later, Elsa awakens the spirits of the forest. Grand Pabbie warns them that Arendelle will have no future unless the wrongs of the past are corrected. Elsa and Anna journey to the Enchanted Forest, where they discover that the mysterious figure that saved Agnarr was actually Iduna. They later discover their parents' wrecked ship and also learn that Agnarr and Iduna’s final voyage was an attempt to find Ahtohallan to learn more about Elsa’s powers, a discovery to Elsa's guilt.
Upon finding Ahtohallan herself, Elsa learns that the war between Arendelle and Northuldra resulted from the actions of King Runeard, who tried to destroy the Northuldra and forest’s magic using a dam, and murdered the tribe leader after the latter voiced his suspicions about the dam to Runeard. Elsa and Anna are able to reveal the truth and destroy their grandfather's dam. This pacifies the spirits and restores peace between the Arendellians and the Northuldra. To symbolize the unity between the two, a statue of a young Agnarr and Iduna is erected in Arendelle's square.
Other appearances
Agnarr briefly appears on an advertisement in Ralph Breaks the Internet, when Ralph is bombarded by numerous pop-up ads.
Live-action appearances
Once Upon a Time
The King appears in live-action form in the first episode of the fourth season, portrayed by Oliver Rice. When Elsa exhibits powerful and dangerous ice powers, he and his wife travel to the nearby land of Misthaven to find a wizard to get rid of her magic. While returning home, the ship is caught in a maelstrom.
Gallery
Trivia
- Many fans have noted that Agnarr bears a striking resemblance to Walt Disney in his younger years.
- It should also be noted that like Agnarr, Walt had two daughters, Diane Disney and Sharon Mae Disney.
- In the Frozen book illustrations, Agnarr has dark hair, but in the movie, he has light hair.
- Agnarr likes to read. In 1816 Iduna finds him reading a book by 'some new Danish author' (an easter egg reference to Hans Christian Anderson) under a tree.
- In Frozen: Live at the Hyperion, Agnarr briefly returns as a spirit watching over his reunited daughters, during the finale.
- Director Chris Buck joked that Agnarr and Iduna did not really die on their voyage and stated that they washed up on an island, had a baby boy, and got eaten by a leopard. This premise is what occurred in Tarzan, another Disney film directed by Buck. Frozen II clearly debunks this concept, since Agnarr and Iduna's ship was discovered to have been washed in from the Dark Sea and they were revealed to have been searching for Ahtohallan.
- Young Agnarr's voice actor, Jackson Stein, is the brother of Delaney Rose Stein, who provided the voice of young Iduna.
- In Frozen, Agnarr is voiced by Maurice LaMarche, who voiced Big Bob Pataki on the Nickelodeon cartoon Hey Arnold! Both characters have two daughters (Agnarr is father to Elsa and Anna, while Big Bob is father to Olga and Helga).
- In Frozen II, Agnarr is voiced by Alfred Molina, while Iduna is voiced by Evan Rachel Wood. The two had previously voiced the Fairy King and his daughter, Marianne, respectively, in Strange Magic.
- Molina began dating Jennifer Lee (who provided Iduna's single line in the original film and directed both movies) when Frozen II was in production, and they eventually married in August 2021.
References
- ↑ Unlocking Arendelle: My Treasured Memories, p. 11
- ↑ Dangerous Secrets, p. 153
- ↑ Dangerous Secrets, pp. 182-183
- ↑ Dangerous Secrets, p. 184
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Dangerous Secrets, pp. 215-216
- ↑ Dangerous Secrets, pp. 247-248
- ↑ Dangerous Secrets, p. 312
- ↑ Frozen II: The Magical Guide, pp. 32, 36
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Dangerous Secrets, p. 37
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 A Frozen Heart, pp. 20-21
- ↑ The ð is pronounced "TH" as in "faTHer".
- ↑ Anna & Elsa: Childhood Times, p. 1
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