What is the benefit/detriment of the dam in Frozen 2?
So here's a question my kids have asked that I wasn't sure how to answer - have at it, internet.
Spoilers to follow.
In Frozen 2, Anna and Elsa's grandfather (King Runeard) builds a dam as a "gift" for the Northuldra people. He sells it as something to bring prosperity to their lands - but it is later revealed that the dam is a ruse, intended to weaken the Northuldra people and make them dependent on Arendelle.
Now I completely get the colonialism aspects of it, and understand it as a plot device, but the part I couldn't answer is - Why is the dam (secretly) a detriment to the Northuldra people?
I don't fully remember the conversation between King Runeard and the Northuldra Leader he attacks when his ruse is discovered, so it's possible the answer lies there, but my memory is that it was spoken in fairly vague terms.
To speculate, I can understand that in building the dam, a large amount of land would be inundated, but if the Northuldra lost prime agricultural land during the construction, that would not go unnoticed. Likewise, if the inundation of land and destruction of habitat offended the spirits of the land, that would become evident very quickly. And in all scenarios I can think of, there's a significant risk to Arendelle - if anything ever happens to the dam, unless there's an all-powerful ice queen to prevent it, Arendelle gets destroyed.
So am I missing something, or is the dam really just a convenient expression of the colonialism/reparation storyline?
Best Answer
The dam reduces the water flow and hurts the forest so it weakens the resources of Northuldra people. The Northuldra people initially thought that the dam will strengthen the waters.
Here is the relevant script from the movie:
"You see, the dam will weaken their lands, so they will have to turn to me. They will come in celebration, and then we will know their size and strength."
?Runeard plotting against the Northuldrans
"King Runeard, the Dam isn't strengthening our waters, it's hurting the forest. It's cutting off the North..."
?the Northuldra leader talking to Runeard
Transcript link: https://transcripts.fandom.com/wiki/Frozen_II
Pictures about "What is the benefit/detriment of the dam in Frozen 2?"
What was the purpose of the dam in Frozen 2?
In Frozen 2, Anna and Elsa's grandfather (King Runeard) builds a dam as a "gift" for the Northuldra people. He sells it as something to bring prosperity to their lands - but it is later revealed that the dam is a ruse, intended to weaken the Northuldra people and make them dependent on Arendelle.Why did Anna destroy the dam?
Why did Anna have the dam destroyed? Thanks to Elsa's icy message to her sister while frozen in her own grief, Anna realizes that her ancestors were the aggressors and that the dam was merely a tool to colonize the forest and its people.Why did King Runeard build the dam?
Long ago, Elsa and Anna's grandfather King Runeard, the ruler of Arendelle, had constructed the dam as a peace offering for the people of Northuldra who lived in the Enchanted Forest.Why did Elsa break the dam?
Anna's realization that she has to destroy the dam to free both the Arendelle soldiers and the Northuldra people makes sense. It was a tool in the attempted colonization of the forest and its inhabitants, and it's also a physical thing that is controlling and withholding the power of nature.The TRUTH About The Dam In Frozen 2
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Images: Mikhail Nilov, Mark Plötz, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA, Mikhail Nilov