History Main / GrimUpNorth

* The Barbaric Archipelago from the ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' franchise (Berk in-particular) is constantly mentioned by Hiccup -- in his usually snarky way -- as being cold, semi-inhospitable and (until Hiccup changed everything) infested with [[OurDragonsAreDifferent fire-breathing monsters]] that outnumber the humans that live there 10 to 1. The only reason why the inhabitants have not migrated away is because they are vikings, who are famously stubborn.

* Inverted in ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaidIIReturnToTheSea'', where the villainess Morgana (Ursula's twin sister) actually makes her home underneath Antarctica.

* The vampire horror film ''Film/ThirtyDaysOfNight'' is set in Barrow, Alaska (the northernmost town in the U.S., well above the Arctic Circle), where the sky is completely dark for thirty days in the middle of winter, allowing the vampires to thrive on those residents who stay through this dark period rather than take the only flight south for the duration.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The continent of Solitas, northernmost continent of Remnant and home to the Kingdom of Atlas, is a frozen wasteland, with little in the way of natural resources. However it does have ''one'' advantage over the [[DeathWorld rest of Remnant]]: it's ''so'' cold and inhospitable that even the ''[[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]]'' struggle to survive there. The Grimm that ''do'' adapt to the cold have a noticeable ice age aesthetic, with hordes of [[SnowySabertooths Sabyrs]] backed up by lumbering [[MammothsMeanIceAge Megoliaths]] as [[PteroSoarer Teryx]] swoop overhead. [[HadToBeSharp As a result of the harsh conditions]], the Atlesians developed more advanced technology at a much faster pace than the other Kingdoms, since that was the only way to survive the environment. However, they are still infamous as a militaristic and [[FantasticRacism anti-faunus]] nation, and while the City of Atlas may be a FloatingContinent surrounded by HardLight shields and policed by MechaMooks, the City of Mantle below it barely has enough power to keep out the Grimm and stay warm.

* The world of ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'' has arguably the grimmest up North in fiction. Past the merely inhospitable Kislev, you get from west to east to the lands of the Norscans (evil Vikings), the Kurgans (evil Mongols) and the Hung (breathtakingly depraved evil Huns), the closest of all the realms of men to the Powers of [[EldritchAbomination Chaos]] and universally marauder tribes that form the core of the LegionsOfHell and the Champions of Chaos who lead the hordes of Chaos in war. In particular, the Norscans are the vanguard of those hordes as they are fanatically devoted to the Chaos Gods and are perhaps the cruelest and most vicious warriors to stalk the Old World, with a hatred of the South, in particular the Empire, which dates back several thousand years to the age of [[MessianicArchetype Sigmar]]. Further north, through the Chaos Wastes (daemon-infested black deserts where [[RealityIsOutToLunch reality is wearing pretty damn thin]]), you eventually reach the Realm of Chaos, which is {{Hell}}. ''All'' of these (except Kislev) regularly spew out TheLegionsOfHell to lay waste to the Old World (although the Hung, who live half a world away from the main setting, mostly ride out against [[{{Wutai}} the empire of Cathay]] instead).

For cultures often portrayed this way, see MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong and HornyVikings. The Swedish conception of ''svårmod'' ("black mood") -- an existentially gloomy Scandinavian mindset, which in popular cliché predisposes Swedes to suicide as they go farther North into endless nights and sub-zero temperatures -- belongs here too, and explains a lot about NordicNoir and the darker sort of CanadianWestern.

* ''VideoGame/MinionMasters'': The Stoutheart-Faction live in snowy mountains.

-->''They were the ones who had stayed and survived the Coming of the Ice, they had heard the Windigoes howl and seen the great shapes of the Frost Giants moving on their northern horizons. On another journey I would see Iceguard, their great city-fort. They seemed out of place in the gay beauty of the Crystal City, and moved warily, as if they feared the Ice-Orcs or Snow-Griffons would attack at any moment. They bore ice-axes and picks strapped to their backs, and though peace-bonded looked as if they expected to have to use them.

* ''WebOriginal/{{Serina}}'': The Great Tundra Ring of the Ultimocene is a harsh environment stretching from its borders with the steppes and towertree taigae to the south, to the southernmost extent of the ice sheets to the north, whose winters last for eight months with generally poor conditions. The tundra gravediggers, a subspecies of the gravedigger adapted to the harsher conditions, are far more aggressive and much more willing to personally dispatch their prey instead of relying on traps. The harshness of their environment also means they generally live only half as long as their southern cousins.

* The tundra biome in ''VideoGame/{{Wolf}}'' is difficult to survive in due to the extreme cold. In compensation, you'll have fewer cattle ranchers to deal with, but hunters will still brave the cold (or [[DeathFromAbove hitch a ride in a plane]]) to put a bullet in your hide.

* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' opens up with Galadriel and several Elves led by her searching for Sauron in the Forodwaith, the Norther Waste. The Forodwaith are shown to be completely inhabitable because of its geography and strong blizzards, a perfect place to build a secret fortress. Galadriel manages to find one of Sauron's fortresses, which is so tainted by evil that fire cannot warm anything. Only snow-trolls can survive there.

The TropeNamer appears to be [[Music/TheKLF the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu]] song "It's Grim Up North", which contains a [[ListingCities list of Northern English cities]]. That said, this trope is not to be confused with OopNorth -- although they can overlap, seeing as Northern England isn't exactly a barrel of laughs either (but at least it's not Luton). For that matter, should you dare venture a wee bit north of Oop North, ''beware'' the ViolentGlaswegian.

* ''WesternAnimation/FireAndIce'': The main villain, Nekron, makes his home up north in Icepeak.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The continent of Solitas, northernmost continent of Remnant and home to the Kingdom of Atlas, is a frozen wasteland, with little in the way of natural resources. However it does have ''one'' advantage over the [[DeathWorld rest of Remnant]]: it's ''so'' cold and inhospitable that even the ''[[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]]'' struggle to survive there. The Grimm that ''do'' adapt to the cold have a noticeable ice age aesthetic, with hordes of [[SnowySabertooths Sabyrs]] backed up by lumbering [[MammothsMeanIceAge Megoliaths]] as [[PteroSoarer Teryx]] swoop overhead.[[HadToBeSharp As a result of the harsh conditions]], the Atlesians developed more advanced technology at a much faster pace than the other Kingdoms, since that was the only way to survive the environment. However, they are still infamous as a militaristic and [[FantasticRacism anti-faunus]] nation, and while the City of Atlas may be a FloatingContinent surrounded by HardLight shields and policed by MechaMooks, the City of Mantle below it barely has enough power to keep out the Grimm and stay warm.

* ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': The continent of Solitas, northernmost continent of Remnant and home to the Kingdom of Atlas, is a frozen wasteland, with little in the way of natural resources. However it does have ''one'' advantage over the [[DeathWorld rest of Remnant]]: it's ''so'' cold and inhospitable that even the ''[[AnimalisticAbomination Grimm]]'' struggle to survive there. [[HadToBeSharp As a result of the harsh conditions]], the Atlesians developed more advanced technology at a much faster pace than the other Kingdoms, since that was the only way to survive the environment.

For cultures often portrayed this way, see MotherRussiaMakesYouStrong and HornyVikings. The Swedish conception of ''svårmod'' ("black mood") -- an existentially gloomy Scandinavian mindset, which in popular cliché predisposes Swedes to suicide as they go farther North into endless nights and sub-zero temperatures -- belongs here too, and explains a lot about NordicNoir.

This trope may stem from how generally inhospitable the North often is to human (and other) life ([[CreatorProvincialism at least in the Northern hemisphere]]). While a gentle cover of snow can [[SnowMeansLove imply romance]], and snow can often be used to create an incredibly beautiful and peaceful otherworldly air, when taken to blizzard-level extremes it becomes an icy hell. And its [[HostileWeather blustery wind]] is usually a degree [[FromBadToWorse worse]] than that which comes from the other cardinal directions to the point that it's frequently [[AnthropomorphicPersonification portrayed]] in a [[TheOldNorthWind rather humanoid form with a mind of his own]]. As many forms of AlwaysChaoticEvil creatures are somehow protected from extreme cold -- for example, TheUndead simply don't care about temperatures -- the North is an environment where the Forces of Good are often at a disadvantage. Savage tribes draped in PeltsOfTheBarbarian often swarm down on the peaceful neighboring lands, and primordial beasts such as {{mammoths|MeanIceAge}}, SavageWolves, and possibly even SnowySabertooths stalk the snowy peaks and forests.

This trope may stem from how generally inhospitable the North often is to human (and other) life ([[CreatorProvincialism at least in the Northern hemisphere]]). While a gentle cover of snow can [[SnowMeansLove imply romance]], and snow can often be used to create an incredibly beautiful and peaceful otherworldly air, when taken to blizzard-level extremes it becomes an icy hell. And its [[HostileWeather blustery wind]] is usually a degree [[FromBadToWorse worse]] than that which comes from the other cardinal directions to the point that it's frequently [[AnthropomorphicPersonification portrayed]] in a [[TheOldNorthWind rather humanoid form with a mind of his own]]. As many forms of AlwaysChaoticEvil creatures are somehow protected from extreme cold -- for example, TheUndead simply don't care about temperatures -- the North is an environment where the Forces of Good are often at a disadvantage. Savage tribes draped in PeltsOfTheBarbarian often swarm down on the peaceful neighboring lands, and primordial beasts such as {{mammoths|MeanIceAge}} and SavageWolves stalk the snowy peaks and forests.

[[caption-width-right:350:Book your vacation to scenic Skyrim today!]]

This trope may stem from how generally inhospitable the North often is to human (and other) life ([[CreatorProvincialism at least in the Northern hemisphere]]). While a gentle cover of snow can [[SnowMeansLove imply romance]], and snow can often be used to create an incredibly beautiful and peaceful otherworldly air, when taken to blizzard-level extremes it becomes an icy hell. And its [[HostileWeather blustery wind]] is usually a degree [[FromBadToWorse worse]] than that which comes from the other cardinal directions to the point that it's frequently [[AnthropomorphicPersonification portrayed]] in a [[TheOldNorthWind rather humanoid form with a mind of his own]]. As many forms of AlwaysChaoticEvil creatures are somehow protected from extreme cold -- for example, TheUndead simply don't care about temperatures -- the North is an environment where the Forces of Good are often at a disadvantage. Savage tribes draped in PeltsOfTheBarbarian often swarm down on the peaceful neighboring lands.

* In ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia'', TheEmpire is headquartered on a perpetually grim and stormy FloatingContinent north of most of the rest of civilization. The actual arctic ice cap isn't so bad, though; it just has one dungeon and a couple of {{Bonus Boss}}es, no worse than the rest of the world. Given that lazy programming makes Arcadia look like a [[WorldShapes torus]] according to the map, it's impossible to tell whether this dungeon is the north pole or the south pole.

** The region to the north of Eostia is Garan. A desolate wasteland, as well as the place where Olga, the Dark Queen of the Black Fortress, gathers her AlwaysChaoticEvil orcs plus other fantasy monsters to make incursions into the borders of Eostia. Unfortunately, the kingdom cannot retaliate by invading the North due to its harsh conditions providing an excellent natural defence, a bane to any army. It is only due to the advent of [[OneManArmy the Good Hunter]] that Celestine finds an invasion to the Black Fortress a viable option. Said harsh conditions also apply to places near or within Garan, like [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace The Badlands and The Dead Marshes]][[note]]the latter featured in the remastered version[[/note]]. In particular, the atmosphere of the Badlands is said to flip between dry heat and clammy cold, which precipitates the possibility of disease.

** Scathlocke is located north of the Fortress City of Ken, a buffer between Garan and Eostia. Again, rather than a snowy place, it is filled with hilly plains, drizzling rain, and mud, a lot worse in winter. Not the best environment for an army that needs to keep dry and warm.

* ''Fanfic/TheNightUnfurls'':
** The region to the north of Eostia is [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace the Badlands]]. Not perpetually freezing like typical examples, but it is still a {{Mordor}} and the place where Olga, the Dark Queen of the Black Fortress, gathers her {{mooks}}, including the native AlwaysChaoticEvil orcs and other fantasy "monsters", to make incursions into the borders of Eostia. Unfortunately, the kingdom cannot retaliate by invading the North due to the harsh conditions there, an excellent natural defence, as well as a bane to any army. It is only due to the advent of [[OneManArmy the Good Hunter]] that Celestine finds an invasion to the Black Fortress a viable option.
** Other named regions in the north, like [[SwampsAreEvil the Dead Marshes]] (from the remastered version) and Scathlocke (from the original version), have undesirable climates that threaten the morale of armies, though the latter is less worse than the former. Again, they are only cold during winter.

* ''Fanfic/LostCities'': North of Equestria are cold lands, empty save for an ancient, abandoned pegasus city. Beyond that are cold, barren mountains, home to the griffon tribes. Beyond that nobody lives, and there is only a vast cold wilderness of snowy forests haunted by ghosts and spirits, and then a vast glacier at the top of the world, holding the ruins of the first city in its depths.

** The Wall protects the people of the North from attacks of savage wildling raiders who reside beyond it amidst endless snow-bound forests and frozen mountains. The forests beyond the wall are also home to creatures long extinct in the south, including direwolves, mammoths and apelike giants. The wildlings are themselves plagued by [[OurWightsAreDifferent frozen demons]] called the Others, as well as by the wights, the animated corpses of their victims (when the series begins the Others haven't been seen in thousands of years, but are waking up again). The northernmost land is called the Land of Always Winter. It is a dark and mysterious place, and so unknown the northernmost part doesn't even appear on the map.
** The Shivering Sea, a cold ocean east of Westeros and north of Essos, is a marine version of this. Its waters are home to leviathans, and legends have it as haunted by ghosts of the drowned, vicious black-scaled mermaids that drag sailors to watery graves and banks of blue mists that freeze any ship they pass over. To its north is the ice of the White Waste, with places like Cannibal Bay, full of ships trapped forever in the ice and home to the cannibalistic descendants of the crews trapped there, and supposed to be home to great ice dragons.