The Northuldra are an indigenous group, who live within the Enchanted Forest, north of Arendelle, and are known as the "people of the sun". Though they possess no magic of their own, they are deeply connected to the magic of the forest and its elemental spirits - the wind spirit Gale, the fire spirit Bruni, the water spirit Nokk, and the Earth Giants. The Northuldra were on friendly terms with the people of Arendelle, but a shocking betrayal led to conflict between the two peoples, which led to a contingent of both being trapped in the forest for thirty-four years, and all outside relations being cut off.
Background
Thirty-four years prior to the events of Frozen II, the Arendellian King Runeard led a contingent of Arendellians into the Enchanted Forest. His stated purpose was to maintain good relations between the two peoples and to present the Northuldra with a gift - a dam which would strengthen their lands.
Secretly, however, King Runeard was fearful of all magic. He believed, quite wrongly, that any access to magic made people feel they are too powerful and would lead them to believe that they could defy the will of a king. The dam, in fact, was secretly a ruse to weaken the forest and, by extension, the people.
During a gathering between the Northuldra and Arendellians in the forest, Runeard secretly murdered the Northuldra leader in cold blood after the latter voiced his realization about the dam harming the forest instead of helping it. After his murderous deed, Runeard instigated a war with the Northuldra, but conducted his actions in stealth, leading those of the royal guards, including Lieutenant Mattias, to believe that it was, in fact, the Northuldra who were responsible. During the fighting, Runeard fell off a cliff to his death along with another Northuldra he had been trying to strike down. The conflict angered the spirits of the forest, who ran rampant and then a magical mist appeared, creating a barrier that allowed nobody to enter or leave the forest. However, a young Northuldran girl Iduna rescued the Arendellian Prince Agnarr, and the two later became friends upon returning to Arendelle.
As adults, the couple fell in love, married, and became King and Queen of Arendelle, respectively. Three years later, the couple had their first child, Elsa, who possesses magic as a gift from the spirits. After three more years, Agnarr and Iduna had their second daughter, Anna.
Role in the film
As children, Elsa and Anna are told a tale of the Enchanted Forest by their father, then about a mysterious river and the song "All Is Found" by their mother.
Three years after becoming the Queen of Arendelle, Elsa begins hearing a mysterious voice calling to her. When she tries to follow the voice, the spirits of the forest invade Arendelle, draining its natural elements. Elsa brings Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and Sven with her to the Enchanted Forest, where she uses her magic to get them past the magical mist. There, the group discovers the Northuldra and Arendellian soldiers, who have been locked in a sort of stalemate for over 34 years, distrustful of each other, but not openly combative. They reveal who they are and eventually gain the trust of both groups. In honor of them, the Northuldra sing the song "Vuelie" and offer their aid.
Through a long and perilous journey, the group discovers the truth behind the conflict of thirty-four years before. The forest is freed and Elsa remains behind with the Northuldra as the forest's fifth spirit.
Gallery
Screenshots
Miscellaneous
Trivia
- The mythology of the Northuldra draws heavily upon the culture of the real-life Sámi people. For the creation of Frozen II, Disney signed a contract with the Sámi people to respectfully portray Sámi culture. The Sámi parliaments of Norway, Sweden, and Finland, along with the Saami Council reached out to collaborate with the film's producers. The contract also included an agreement that Disney would produce a dubbed version of Frozen II in one Sámi language and participate in cross-learning initiatives that contribute to Indigenous communities in Scandinavia.[1] The Sámi people and those worked with by the filmmakers appear in the film's credits.
- The name of the Northuldra is derived from "huldra" or "hulder", a Norse root word meaning "covered" or "secret", reflecting their status as a hidden people living in the Enchanted Forest. In Scandinavian folklore, Huldra is used as the name for a magical race of forest dwelling women with tails that would seduce men traveling in their woods. These Huldra would become associated with tales of the "hidden folk" in general, turning the word into a common toponym for locations associated with those stories.[2]
- They are experts at hiding themselves within the Enchanted Forest and keep huge herds of reindeer.[3]
- In Polar Nights, it is revealed that, after the curse was lifted, the Northuldra migrated, out of the Enchanted Forest, to explore new lands, after being locked up for a long time. This explains their lack of appearances, in any works, after Frozen II.
- The Northuldra leader was voiced by Alan Tudyk, who previously played the Duke of Weselton from the first film. Ironically, they can be considered as polar opposites to each other: the duke of Weselton only visited Arendelle for its wealth and is biased against magic, while the Northuldran leader is more openly welcoming towards the Arendellians and doesn't bother the overall presence of magic itself.
References
- ↑ Simonpillai, Radheyan (November 19, 2019). "Disney signed a contract with Indigenous people before making Frozen II" (Article). Now Toronto.
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hulder
- ↑ Frozen II: The Magical Guide, p. 56
