#ingridverse

Release: July 1, 2024 ❄️

But for some reason, she can’t access them.

She's tried everything! Her own magic, the assistance of the spirits, even Northuldra wisdom! Nothing works!

But Elsa has a feeling.

It’s the same feeling that told her to trust the voice that brought her north to Ahtohallan. It’s the same feeling that told her the spirits of the Enchanted Forest are good. Now, that feeling is telling Elsa to talk to her sister.

Anna, the Queen of Arendelle.

The sisters don’t quite know it yet, but those memories they are about to find are yours.

Introducing...

A fanzine, for fans, by fans! Created and shared for 6 months!

Elsa and Anna will descend into the depths of Ahtohallan to find our memories of Frozen. You see, Elsa and Anna together are the Fifth Spirit. To see these memories they need to work together to part the ice. As they do, they will find more and more memories through each year, through a whole decade! They will find everything—the movies, the books, the spin-offs—and our memories too!

Those memories are your creativity!

Submissions are closed ❄️✌🏻

Part Two

[see Part One here]

People: The land of Arendelle is rocky, cold, rich in resources but not very fertile. Where there is beauty it is stark and not colourful. Consequently the people of Arendelle are solid, hard-working, people of the earth. Strength and competence are respected as much as education or refinement. Even in the capital, someone who can’t build a table or cook a meal is pitied, and not considered completely grown up.

Which is not to say that they do not have a sense of fun. Visitors are always welcome, especially in the country because they are rare. Hospitality is always generous. As a local saying goes, “Wherever two or three are gathered together, someone will start serving sandwiches.”

Popular pastimes are skiing (both downhill and cross-country), fishing, hiking, and competitive axe-throwing. The Arendellan sense of humour is similarly robust. For example a local beer, Hord’s Øl, is often referred to as Hord’s Ølen Min, a play on “hold ølen min” (hold my beer [while I do something foolish]).

In the capital, especially in the markets, you may see Hindoos, Mussulmen, and Jews among the populace. The Lutheran Church is still the official religion of Arendelle. However, because of the reforms introduced by King Astrid and her son Prince Erik (known as Erik The Freethinker), and a general Arendellan attitude of minding one’s own business, people of all religions can be full citizens and travel freely. This attitude was reinforced in 1783, when King Ingemar of Svenland imposed travel restrictions on Jews from Arendelle. The people rose up in protest, viewing it as unfair and unjust, but also as an affront to the sovereignty of Arendelle. As one citizen was reported to have said, perhaps apocryphally, “There’s not a d---ed thing wrong with our Jews. Can’t say the same of their Ingemars.”

Staring at a passing turban or yarmulke, let alone commenting on it, is considered both rude and unsophisticated, the sign of a country bumpkin. Conduct yourself appropriately.

Industry: Arendelle is mostly an exporter of ore, timber, fish, and ice, and an importer of food and manufactured goods. Recently Queen Elsa has introduced a number of programs to change this, using tariffs and quotas to favour local manufacturing over imports. Following the recent unpleasantness with Weselton and with the Southern Isles, she is working to make Arendelle less dependent on other countries. Fish canneries and furniture factories are starting up with moderate success. Arendellan fashions are becoming popular across Europa, due in large part to public appearances by the queen and princess. Having recently acquired what are now the islands of the Arendellan West Indes, Arendelle has begun small-scale production of sugar. Almonds and cocoa are expected to follow, if those crops can be successfully established there.

Military: In the usual model for a country of Arendelle’s modest size and resources, there is a very small standing army, weighted heavily towards officers and sergeants. All able-bodies males are obliged to take six weeks’ military training, to be called up in time of war. Having been trained, they are required to own a crossbow in good repair and a military uniform. At random the local army representative can demand that any male citizen appear for public inspection in uniform, crossbow in hand. This is considered a rare treat for everyone except the citizen in question, as most men do not bother having their uniform let out as they age.

Princess Anna has taken a special interest in the military, following her unorthodox success at the Battle of Baldur’s Pass. She regularly discusses strategy with the Councillor for Defence of the Realm, as well as participating in military training. She is said to show promise with the sword and crossbow. It is reported that, for training purposes, she has developed a modified crossbow which fires wax balls filled with paint. These can be used to safely train soldiers in person-to-person combat exercises, and are credited with making it much easier to get citizens to show up for their mandatory training.

She has always been this way. She doesn't know how or why. Maybe she was sent as punishment for her parents' sins.

She does not believe in hell. Or sin. Much less heaven. If there were some divine justice, things would have been Different from the start.

Love is god. Blood is life.

She's not a revenant like in every book she's ever read on the subject, every folktale she and Thomas have tracked down. She grows, and ages, and breathes, and eats. She just also thirsts.