Iduna kinda sucks
I've been going down the Frozen 2 lore rabbit hole lately (mostly the Dangerous Secrets prequel novel) and I honestly think Iduna gets way too much of a pass considering how much she fucked over her own tribe and daughters.
And I'm not talking about young Iduna. She was a child when the forest was attacked, watched her people get caught up in the conflict, and then had to hide her identity to survive in Arendelle. I completely understand that. I'm talking about Iduna after she becomes queen.
Because by then she knows exactly what happened. She knows she's Northuldra. She knows her people are still trapped in the forest. She's married to the king and has access to the royal family and all the power that comes with it.
And when Iduna finally tells Agnarr that she's Northuldra, he doesn't fucking care. He's basically like, "I love you. You don't have to hide anymore." He even wants Elsa and Anna to know about their Northuldra heritage and learn their mother's traditions.
So the thing Iduna spent her entire life terrified of actually happens, and she discovers that her husband isn't going to reject her.
And then... she becomes queen and the Northuldra remain trapped in the forest for decades.
The book even shows Iduna thinking about how she could use her position as queen to help the Northuldra. She knows her people are suffering, she has the king's support, and then still doesn't do shit about it. Like, girl. 😭
And then she does basically the same thing to Elsa.
Elsa's powers are literally because of Iduna saving Agnarr and bringing their two worlds together.
And Iduna's response is basically:
"Oh shit. Hide it."
Uhhh ma'am??
YOUR NORTHULDRA HERITAGE JUST GAVE YOUR DAUGHTER A DIVINE-ASS SUPERPOWER AND YOU'RE ACTING LIKE SHE GOT CURSED????
Obviously Iduna and Agnarr don't know Elsa is the fifth spirit yet. But they could have tried to understand what was happening. Instead, Elsa gets "conceal, don't feel." She isn't told about Iduna's heritage, the spirits, or why she might have these powers.
And Iduna of all people should have understood how damaging that was. She spent her childhood thinking that hiding who she was was necessary for survival, but learns that she didn't have to hide when Agnarr accepts and loves her for who she is. But then she turns around and teaches Elsa that hiding who she is is necessary for survival too. Like huh??
Iduna's trauma explains why she was afraid, but she had decades to move beyond that fear. She had an accepting husband, a crown, two daughters, and a direct connection to the people she'd left behind.
Instead, she died having passed that cycle of fear and secrecy down to her own children. Elsa ultimately had to unlearn the shame surrounding the very powers her parents both manifested and taught her to fear, uncover her mother's history on her own, confront the atrocities of her grandfather, and then free her mother's imprisoned tribe after Iduna was unwilling/unable to.
Elsa succeeded in spite of Iduna's horrible/stupid decisions. That's a pretty shitty legacy for a queen.
