Arendelle (Anna | Elsa)
Hans | Weselton | Northuldra
Magical Creatures | Animals
Extended Media (A Frozen Heart Exclusive)
ALL spoilers on this page are UNMARKED. It's highly recommended you see the movie (and Frozen Fever) first before reading this page. As the entries on this page are for members of Hans's family as described in the Tie-In Novel A Frozen Heart, it's also highly recommended you read that first as well.
open/close all folders
The Southern Isles Royal Family
General Tropes about the Royal Family
- Altar Diplomacy: It's implied the royals married for politics, and at least one had an Arranged Marriage with a wife who comes from another country is still upset with her family for sending her to the Isles.
- Arranged Marriage: Many of Hans's brothers are married to princesses from other kingdoms for diplomatic reasons. Helga hasn't forgiven her family for shipping her off to the Isles.
- Awful Wedded Life: The royals tend to be unhappily married. The king thinks of his wife as a Baby Factory and hasn't cared for her ever since they were married. His 12 older sons aren't that different either - Caleb treats his wife like wallpaper, the middle sons want more babies, while Lars's wife Helga hates living in the Isles.
- Baby Factory: It's implied most of the male royals think of their wives as baby-producing objects to expand the royal family.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: The king neglects his wife and at least one of his sons, while the queen is implied to cope with her abusive spouse with wine. Most of the princes are violent bullies who often pick on each other, especially the youngest, Hans. The king deliberately encourages violence within his family as well.
- Crushing the Populace: The king beats his subjects into total submission, having them killed or tortured for badmouthing him or not being able to pay their taxes, with the help or support of most of the princes.
- Dinner and a Show: When Hans finally shows up to attend his mother's birthday after idly standing outside the door for 20 minutes, the king scolds him for being late and daydreaming, while his brothers ridicule him for being a Momma's Boy and toss objects at him as he storms out of the room.
- Domestic Abuse: The king and Caleb ignore their wives. It's implied they only married for politics and think of their wives as Baby Factories.
- Dysfunctional Family: Deconstructed in A Frozen Heart. It portrays Hans's family as full of misogynistic and arrogant royals with an Evil Overlord who encourages his sons to violently torment each other as part of his Social Darwinist philosophy and women who drink a lot to cope with their abusive husbands. The family ends up being miserable, as most of the sons end up becoming borderline sociopaths who bully each other and develop serious mental health issues, aiming to please their father no matter the cost. With such experiences, Hans comes to assume Love Is a Weakness and ends up in major trouble in what was supposed to be a diplomatic trip.
- Foil: The Southern Isles' royal family is the polar opposite of the Arendellian royal family and Kristoff's troll family in many ways.
- To King Agnarr — while Agnarr loves his family unconditionally, Hans's father picks favorites amongst his 13 sons and is apathetic at best towards his wife. While Agnarr forces his daughters to separate from each other for their safety, Hans's father encourages his sons to torment each other out of contempt and cruelty.
- To the trolls — while the trolls are Kristoff's adopted non-human family who treat him with love, the Westergaards are Hans's biological human family who treat him and each other terribly.
- Sibling dynamics in Arendelle vs. the Southern Isles — while Elsa and Anna care for each other during the 13 years they're separated and still do so even after Elsa's ice powers are revealed, none of the 13 brothers get along with each other, exacerbated by competing for their parents' affections.
- Freudian Excuse: Freud would certainly have a big field day here with the 13 sons, as the king abuses them psychologically to the point most of them develop serious mental health issues and adopt the same ruthlessness as their father.
- Due to the king spoiling him too much, Caleb becomes an immature man who doesn't take his role as heir seriously.
- Despite his reluctance to hurt anyone, Hans starts to use violence against the Southern Isles population as a means to seek his father's approval. It slowly poisons his mind, and he eventually adopts his family's way of thinking to the point that he tries to kill Elsa and Anna in order to seize power. He even self-harms himself, but finding it to be better than the torrent of abuse his family heaps on him.
- It's implied that some of the brothers resent Hans for being their mother's favorite and Caleb for being their father's favorite.
- Inverted with Lars. He was the youngest for a while, and like Hans, was bullied for it, and because of this, he is the only one to stand up for Hans.
- Gentle Touch vs. Firm Hand: The king uses Social Darwinism and Tough Love to justify raising his 13 sons this way and makes very clear the consequences of straying from it. On the opposite side, the queen is implied to be a very loving mother who genuinely wants her children to stop abusing each other.
- Hands-Off Parenting: Deconstructed. Because their parents are either indifferent or neglectful in raising their 13 sons, most of them end up becoming immature manchildren, while Hans ends up in major trouble in what was supposed to be a diplomatic trip.
- Hate Sink: Hans takes this role in the film, a remorseless man who takes pleasure in tormenting the heroines. But the Tie-In Novel A Frozen Heart explores his perspective and creates sympathy in part by shifting the trope to his Big, Screwed-Up Family. The fact that they all get away with their crimes makes them even more loathsome.
- The king especially demonstrates this trope, with his status as a Domestic Abuser who treats his family like dirt and an Evil Overlord who routinely torments his subjects for minor reasons. He has no redeeming qualities of the sort and provides a foil for the relatively reasonable Hans. His sole purpose is to make himself as contemptible to the readers as possible, and make Hans much more sympathetic and tragic in comparison.
- Except for Lars, most of Hans's brothers are also loathsome brats, given how they bully Hans for being the youngest and neglect their wives in favor of their father. Three of them even ignored Hans for two straight years, while the others subjected him to extensive harassment.
- It Gets Easier: Deconstructed. As with Hans, it's implied his older brothers didn't start out as mean jerks, but the king deliberately encouraged them to violence. Due to this, the Westegaards become a totally Dysfunctional Family.
- It's All About Me: A running theme within the male members of the family.
- Most of the sons are self-serving bullies who care mostly about their reflections on the walls of the palace's mirrors and their social standing within the family pecking order.
- It's implied the king only cares for people when they're useful to him, as he only begins treating Hans better when Hans becomes his gofer and throws his wife's birthday celebration just to show off. He also selfishly abuses his power and reacts harshly to criticism. It's implied that even if Hans succeeded in seizing control of Arendelle, he probably still wouldn't have been treated as an equal by his father.
- Double subverted with Hans. He doesn't start out acting this way, but he eventually becomes self-centered to mask his insecurities about being last in line to inherit the throne.
- It Runs in the Family: Most of the king's sons inherit their father's ruthlessness and Lack of Empathy.
- Jacob and Esau: Implied. The king favors his older sons, whom he sees as more useful and who are more violent like he is, while the nicer queen is implied to prefer Hans, who is less brutal.
- Jerkass: All of the male members, except Lars.
- Hans fakes his romance with Anna as part of his political ploy to become the king of Arendelle, tweaking it to usurpation by attempting to murder Anna and Elsa when things go south.
- The King of the Southern Isles ill-treats his family and selfishly abuses his power as if he was entitled to it.
- Except for Lars, all of Hans's brothers are big-time jerks, given the way they treat Hans, the harsh manner they run the kingdom, and the blatant way they ignore their wives.
- Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: The king and most of his older sons.
- The king is rather cruel, and even when he appears to care, turns out to have a selfish motive underneath. He throws his wife's birthday celebration just to show off.
- Most of Hans's brothers attend their mother's birthday just to impress their father and taunt Hans. However, one offhand remark by Rudi and their resentment of Hans being her favorite implies they do genuinely want their mother's affections.
- Karma Houdini: At the end of A Frozen Heart, Anna, Elsa and Kristoff think Hans's family probably isn't as bad as he made them sound, implying the king won't face any diplomatic consequence. Likewise, there's no suggestion that most of Hans's brothers will ever face any consequences for bullying their youngest brother.
- Kick the Dog: The princes tend to harass each other, especially Hans, for the sake of it, establishing most of them as unsympathetic characters. Aside from taunting him just for daydreaming when he shows up late to their mother's birthday, some of them even pretended Hans was "invisible" for two straight years. Likewise, the king often sneers at his youngest son.
- Knight of Cerebus: The Tie-In Novel A Frozen Heart is darker than most installments in the franchise, due in large part to its portrayal of Hans's family. Any reference to his father or his brothers, with the exception of Lars, demonstrates how cruel they are.
- Lack of Empathy: Invoked and deconstructed. The king encourages Social Darwinism, raising his sons to be ruthless. The family ends up miserable from tormenting each other, and Hans gets in trouble on what was supposed to be a diplomatic mission to another country because he tried to kill its royal family in an attempt to take over himself.
- The king particularly doesn't care for others, perceiving them as objects he can abuse how he wants to, and doesn't mind his older sons bullying his youngest, saying he thinks Hans should learn from them.
- Except for Lars, most of Hans's brothers have inherited their father's ruthlessness, feeling nothing to anybody they torment, whether it's their wives, their subjects, or each other.
- Double subverted for Hans. He initially averts this, but the time he spent as the king's gofer and the repeated abuse slowly convinces him to think it's okay to manipulate to get what you want and that Virtue Is Weakness. It leaves him incapable of even experiencing true love of all kinds.
- Morality Pet: Lars and the Queen seem to be the only people Hans genuinely respects and cares for.
- Narcissist:
- The king himself is one, demanding his subjects to respect him and reacting violently when they insult him. He even invokes this on his sons, demanding them to be obedient and perfect, and molding them in his image.
- The king's more loyal sons only care about their own reflections in the mirrors around the castle.
- Parental Favoritism: It's implied several of the sons are envious of Caleb and Hans getting the lion's share of attention from their father and mother, respectively.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: The king and most of his sons are misogynistic abusers. Given how they rule the Southern Isles, it's implied they also hold elitist views.
- Pushover Parents: Deconstructed. The king is at best indifferent and at worst neglectful when it comes to raising his sons, while years of childbirth has rendered the queen incapable of intervening and can only give weak smiles to Hans despite being a loving mother who wants her sons to stop abusing each other. It leads the royal family to become miserable with each other.
- Royally Screwed Up: The Westergaards are basically the royal version of a Big, Screwed-Up Family.
- Shadow Archetype: Unlike the Arendellian royal family, the Westergaards are totally dysfunctional thanks to the king's corrosive behavior on his family. This even extends beyond the royal family of both kingdoms, as the Westergaards are corrupt rulers, while the Arendellian royals take a more egalitarian approach.
- The king shows what Agnarr could have been if he micromanaged his children too much. Hans's father is manipulative and abusive towards his sons by deliberately encouraging them to use amoral means to earn his respect. Due to this, Caleb doesn't take anything seriously, Hans is deported in disgrace for his attempted coup in Arendelle, and the 13 sons don't get along with each other. In short, Hans's father represents what a parent should not be.
- Hans's older brothers are darker versions of Elsa, as like her, they shut out their siblings due to their father's influence. However, while Elsa's father was genuinely well-intentioned but allowed his fear for his daughters' safety to guide him, Hans's father is a cruel man who would gladly hurt others to serve his own ends, expects his sons to fall in line with that, and refuses to let them reconcile with each other. As with Hans, they accept their father's cynical views. The brothers reflect the relationship Anna and Elsa could have had if they refused to get along, causing Anna to become The Unfettered like Hans while Elsa stopped caring about Anna in her drive to not let her emotions affect her and sink further into despair.
- The Social Darwinist:
- Deconstructed with the king. A nasty mix of the Jerk Justifier, Straw Meritocrat, Struggler and Weakness Punisher types, he believes his sons should be "lions, not mice," deliberately lets them torment each other, and sees it as a sign of strength while deviations are unacceptable to him. He considers Hans to be an useless "spare" and blames him for not fighting back. However, his warped worldview slowly poisons his sons with serious psychological issues such as immaturity and "Well Done, Son" Guy tendencies.
- Most of the king's sons adhere to Darwinism as well. Case in point: during their mother's birthday celebration, when Hans attempts not to rise to their bait after they throw objects at him, they make harsh jabs about his status as a Momma's Boy, with Rudi cruelly stating that the king "abhors mice." Later on, when Hans briefly thinks of not becoming his father's gofer, he imagines his brothers mocking him for not "having the guts to do anything."
- Double subverted and deconstructed with Hans. He initially abhors this viewpoint, but the repeated abuse and his time as the king's right-hand slowly convinces him to think Love Is a Weakness. However, it also leaves him incapable of genuinely bonding with others.
- Strong Family Resemblance: While his brothers are redheads of average height, it's averted with Runo, as he's described by Hans as a freakishly tall blonde with spiked hair and pale eyes that make him look as if he's perpetually shocked.
- Token Good Teammate:
- Lars and the queen are the only family members who are not cruel.
- Deconstructed with Hans. He starts out as a decent man who genuinely cares for his mother and Lars, knows his family is terrible, and abhors his father's violent regime, but he can't do anything about it, as his father and older brothers frequently abuse him. Eventually, Hans throws away his morals and tries his best to emulate them, but it hardens him to the point he's doesn't form any genuine relationship.
- Unnamed Parent: Hans's parents are unnamed like most of his brothers, though it can be assumed that he got the surname from his father.
- Virtue Is Weakness: Hans's father and most of his brothers think showing mercy and compassion is unacceptable to them, and that Nice Guys Finish Last. In their Social Darwinist viewpoint, the Westergaards should be "lions, not mice," the weak get picked on, and only the fittest survive.
- Where Did We Go Wrong?: Hans's family think of Hans as the family's Black Sheep due to his ineptitude in conforming to their ways.
The King
The ruling king of the Southern Isles, head of the Westergaard clan, and the father of Hans.
- 0% Approval Rating: Justified. He is hated by the populace, as he's a greedy tyrant who abuses his power and is implied to kill and/or torture citizens even for tiny reasons. Despite attempting to please him, it's unknown to what extent his sons actually support his rule, as it's shown that even Hans despises him despite wanting to earn his admiration.
- Abusive Parents: Frequently micromanages his sons by indoctrinating them into Social Darwinism and has no problems with them bullying each other.
- Animal Motifs: He believes that his 13 sons "should be lions, not mice," jeering his youngest son for not fighting back.
- Animal Metaphor: As part of his Social Darwinist mindset, the king believes his sons should be strong and powerful like lions, but scornfully compares Hans to a mouse, which is generally seen as weak and not of any use, even though they're very clever and resourceful.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Though it wasn't the king's intention and no one knows how he reacted, Hans's actions during the movie ultimately show that his Freudian Excuse warped him instead of the paltry support he had from his mother and Lars, or the aid he could have sought from Anna and Elsa.
- The Caligula: He abuses his power by violently punishing late taxpayers and regime critics. And his "solution" to a problem one farmer had? He torches their farm down to the ground and seizes their livestock, leaving Hans to wonder how someone in charge of such a large kingdom "could be so stupid."
- Can't Take Criticism: He has a peasant punished for insulting him. It's implied he doesn't take criticism well.
- Control Freak: He is a narcissistic man who demands his sons emulate his Lack of Empathy, wants to raise them in his Social Darwinist mold, and has a low threshold for criticism.
- The Corrupter: His toxic influence warped most of his sons. It took an attempt to escape his father for Hans's corruption to finally kick in.
- Deconstructed Character Archetype: He shows the flaws of the Doting Parent and Abusive Parents tropes.
- Abusive Parents deconstruction: He demands his sons carry on the masculine image he projects himself and picks favorites among them, leading to fierce competition between them for his praise. However, the family ends up being miserable from tormenting each other and Hans develops a ruthlessness that results in disgrace for his crimes in Arendelle.
- Doting Parent deconstruction: Since the king is too accepting of everything his oldest son does, Caleb becomes a Spoiled Brat who is lackadaisical in his job as heir.
- Despotism Justifies the Means: All he cares is continuing his tyranny over his subjects, be it strong-arming people for more taxes or violently suppressing any criticism levied on him.
- Dispense with the Pleasantries: The king doesn't like to waste words and scolds Hans for not getting straight to the point.
- Doting Parent: Deconstructed. The king spoils his older sons, particularly first-born Caleb, into becoming his sycophantic henchmen. Caleb even ends up becoming a Royal Brat who is unprepared for his job as heir.
- The Dreaded:
- His subjects are terrified of his wrath. He's prone to Disproportionate Retribution, brutally suppressing any criticism levied on him.
- From how Hans fears what punishment he'll get back home for his crimes in Arendelle or the prospect of failing to follow the king's orders, it's clear even he is genuinely afraid of arousing his father's anger. Hans even notes that Marshmallow looks tame compared to his father, who is implied to have an explosive temper.
- It's implied most of his older sons follow his orders out of fear as well, not out of loyalty.
- Evil Counterpart: Of King Agnarr, in that he is a violent dictator who abuses his family and is implied to kill people for minor reasons. Even his parenting style is a stark contrast to Agnarr's, as while Agnarr loves his spouse and daughters unconditionally, Hans's father treats his own family as if they are disposable tools.
- Evil Debt Collector: Like a Mafia extortionist, he sends down one of his sons to strong-arm delinquent taxpayers with ominous threats of violence if they don't pay.
- Evil Has a Bad Sense of Humor: The king and his more violent sons take pleasure in their mistreatment of Hans. He even makes a harsh jab about Hans' status as the Momma's Boy, mockingly stating that the queen and Lars "will be the only one[s] who would have even noticed that [he was] missing."
- Evil Is Petty: He's an Evil Overlord who tortures or "disappears" citizens for minor reasons, enables his sons to torment each other, and hypocritically criticizes Hans for being late to the queen's birthday celebration despite ignoring her himself. He even torches a farmer's barn and seizes his livestock simply out of spite.
- Evil Patriarch: He's as abusive towards his sons as he is with his subjects.
- Evil Overlord: He sees his subjects as his personal Piggy Bank, reacting violently when they don't provide favors or insult him, giving Hans a good reason why he wants to permanently leave his homeland.
- Follow in My Footsteps: He wants all of his sons to follow and emulate him. His treatment of Hans is because he was the least willing to conform to their shared views.
- Greater-Scope Villain: His corrupting influence molded Hans into the primary villain of the main story.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Implied to have a short fuse. Hans spends much of the book very afraid of arousing his father's wrath.
- Hates Small Talk: He hates idle banter, frequently scolding Hans for not "getting straight to the point" and wasting his time.
- Hypocrite: Despite scolding Hans for showing up late to his mother's birthday celebration, he himself blatantly ignores the queen and has been doing so for the nearly thirty years they've been married.
- I Want Grandkids: He wants his sons to marry off and produce more heirs to the kingdom.
- Jerk Justifications: He combines the Virtue Is Weakness and Tough Love justifications, using Social Darwinism as a way to raise his sons and openly mocking Hans for not fighting off his older brothers.
- Jerkass to One: While he's a self-serving jerkass who treats everyone like trash, the king seems to be particularly nasty towards Hans, dismissing him as a "throwaway" son who isn't of any use.
- Make an Example of Them:
- To whip his subjects in line, he responds violently against anybody who falls behind taxes or criticizes him.
- Towards his sons, he wants them to emulate his Lack of Empathy, while deviations from his worldview are corrected forcefully.
- Manipulative Bastard: He brainwashes his sons from a young age into becoming his boot-licking flunkies.
- The Matchmaker: It's implied that he set up arranged marriages for most of his sons.
- Meekness is Weakness: The king thinks his sons should be "lions, not mice" and despises weakness, a thing he sees in Hans. He enables his older sons to bully Hans and blames him for not fighting them away.
- Might Makes Right: When his older sons bully Hans, he tells Hans he should be more like them, since the "Westergaards are lions, not mice."
- Misery Builds Character: The king believes in Social Darwinism as a way of raising his sons, and wants them to be obedient and perfect. Any of them going soft is unacceptable, as he ridicules Hans for not standing up to his brothers.
- No Sympathy: To him, showing pity is for the weak. He sees Hans's complaints about his brothers bullying him as nothing more than an annoyance, as he believes treating his youngest son this way will make him tough as he grew older.
- Parental Neglect: Deconstructed. He dismisses Hans as an ineffectual "throwaway," giving him little to no attention at all, and lets his older sons torment each other for the sake of it. His neglect actually causes his sons to develop serious psychological issues.
- Pet the Dog: Subverted. After spending time as the king's gofer, it seems Hans has earned his father's trust in attending Elsa's coronation, only for the king to order him to return immediately so that he can babysit his brothers' children.
- The Sociopath: He sees everyone around him as tools he can abuse as he deems fit, reacting violently when he doesn't get what he wants.
- Tough Love: Justified and deconstructed. An ardent believer in Social Darwinism, the king frequently lets his sons mistreat each other so that they'll come to accept that Might Makes Right. It actually leaves most of them, including Hans, to be emotionally stunted to the point many of them become psychologically miserable.
- The Unfettered: Nothing checks him, be it abusing his family or brutally oppressing his subjects.
- The Unfought: Is still in power at the end of book and has not even met Anna, Elsa or Kristoff.
- Unnamed Parent: Hans likely got his surname from his father. Outside of this, we never learn what the king's first name is.
- Vile Villain, Saccharine Show: Even though he's only appeared so far in a retelling of the original film aimed at older audiences, he's a much darker character and more vile villain than is typical for the Frozen franchise. An abusive, evil dictator who makes even the worst Disney villains look tame compared to him, he stands out in a franchise of tie-in stories usually focused on such lighthearted concepts such as searching for Christmas traditions, a birthday celebration, and learning the identity of a secret admirer.
- Villain of Another Story: The king is a cruel man who abuses his sons into becoming devoted yes-men, treats his family with complete indifference, uses brute force to collect taxes, and subjects citizens to unspecified punishments for criticizing him. The majority of A Frozen Heart focuses on covering the same plot as the original Frozen movie, though, so the king ends up being a minor character.
- Why Couldn't You Be Different?: The king often claims that Hans should "learn a thing or two" from his older brothers, chiding him for not fighting back at their taunts.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: After 3 years of Hans being his right-hand man, the king gives him permission to visit Arendelle for Elsa's coronation. At first it seems Hans has finally earned his father's trust and respect, but then, the king immediately orders him to come back as soon as the party is over so that Hans can babysit his brothers' children. This shows that despite what Hans did for him, the king only barely trusts him and still limits his freedom.
The Queen
The ruling queen of the Southern Isles and the mother of Prince Hans.
- Alcoholic Parent: Hans notes that his mother copes with her abusive spouse with wine.
- Broken Bird: Being physically frail and married to a man who neglects her, she copes with her unhappy marriage by drinking wine. She also can only acknowledge Hans with weak smiles and is forced to watch her husband abuse their sons as time passed. One can only imagine the immense mental trauma she is in after accepting being ignored. It's implied she condemned the king's actions at some point in the past, but the fallout was so severe that she gave up.
- The Confidant: Downplayed and deconstructed. She is one of the very few people in the family whom Hans confides in, but despite genuinely caring for her youngest son, she can only acknowledge him with weak smiles. During her birthday, the king and some of her older sons even make rude jabs about Hans' status as a Momma's Boy. This implies that when he was younger, she comforted Hans when his brothers played mean pranks on him, but as he learned more of his brothers' tactics, he distances himself from her, aware that he would be further mocked for running to her when in need.
- Delicate and Sickly: Being the king's Baby Factory, her alcoholism, and the mountainous stress from her lifestyle has caused her to become sickly and frail.
- Extreme Doormat: Besides Hans, she is the family's other Extreme Doormat, as while she loves her children and desires them to stop treating each other so horribly, years of childbirth and her husband's corrupting influence has rendered her unable to do anything but acknowledge Hans with weak smiles.
- Good Parents: She's a very loving mother and wants her sons to stop abusing each other.
- Lady Drunk: To cope with her abusive husband, the queen drinks wine.
- Trophy Wife: The king only sees her as a Baby Factory producing more heirs for him.
- Unnamed Parent: As with the king and most of Hans's brothers, the reader never learns her name.
- Useless Bystander Parent: While she cares for her sons and wishes for them to stop bullying each other, she is unable to stand up to her husband.
Hans's Brothers
Hans's older brothers, the other princes of the Southern Isles. Hans does not get along with eleven of his brothers.
- Aloof Big Brother: While Lars is the only brother whom Hans feels a little close to, the other eleven shun him, as they follow their father's view of preying on the weak. They often seek any chance to make him feel less than them.
- Always Someone Better: The king thinks all of his older sons are better than Hans, who actually seems to agree with this. It's one of his driving factors for his plans in Arendelle, to prove his worth.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Inverted. Hans sees most of them as obnoxious pricks who pick on him for being the youngest, with Rudi and Runo being the worst of all.
- Beauty Equals Goodness: Averted. The king's sons are said to be a handsome bunch, but most of them are obnoxious jerks.
- Big Brother Bully: Except for Lars, all of Hans's brothers relish in making his life a living hell, with the twins being the worst of all. It's gotten so bad that Hans gives up fighting back out of fear that they'll just keep on doing this, but it only makes things even worse. It's implied that they're this to each other as well, with mentions of them frequently getting into violent brawls with one another.
- Childish Older Sibling:
- Hans views most of them as a bunch of obnoxious manchildren who pull mean pranks against him just for being the youngest.
- In turn, they feel Caleb is too immature for being the heir as he's too dependent on their father for emotional support and frequently fights with them.
- Disappointing Older Sibling: Except for Lars, this is what Hans perceives his older brothers to be, especially Caleb.
- Driven by Envy: Just like Hans, his brothers often seek the approval of their parents. It's implied they envy Hans and Caleb for being their parents' respective favorites.
- The Dutiful Son: Their main goal — they want their father be appreciative of them.
- Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: Double subverted. They only attend their mother's birthday just to impress their father, but it's implied they do resent Hans for being favored by the queen and even seek her approval.
- Evil Counterpart: Of Elsa, in that like her, they are distant older siblings, but unlike her, they abuse others out of sadistic cruelty instead of getting along. This is exacerbated by their father deliberately goading them to do so and picking favorites among his 13 sons.
- Faked Kidnapping: The phony "ransom note from a King Gotya" prank they pulled against Hans out of pure sadism. He thought that "King Gotya" will only "release" one of his brothers on the condition he run around the entire castle three times in just his underwear.
- For the Evulz: They frequently abuse Hans out of sadistic cruelty. It's implied their Faked Kidnapping prank even caused Hans to end up in trouble despite them being the real culprits.
- Infant Sibling Jealousy: It's implied some of them envy Hans for being their mother's favorite.
- In the Blood: They inherit their father's ruthlessness. Justified in that the king wants them to be "lions, not mice," and deviation from these expectations is harshly punished.
- Like Father, Like Son: Most of them end up with the same ruthlessness and Lack of Empathy as their father.
- Massive Numbered Siblings: The King and the Queen have 13 children, including Hans. And they're all boys.
- Middle Child Syndrome: It's implied some of the brothers resent Hans and Caleb for being their mother's and father's respective favorites.
- Named by the Adaptation: Barring Hans, they are unnamed in the movie, but the tie-in book names four of them: Caleb (oldest), Lars (third born), and the twins Rudi and Runo (placement unknown). The other eight remain unnamed.
- No Name Given: The only sons named are Caleb (the oldest), Lars (the third born), Hans (the youngest), and the twins Rudi and Runo (their placement is unknown), but the others are unknown.
- Princeling Rivalry: Deconstructed. Barring Hans and Lars, they don't get along with each other with mentions of Caleb brawling with his brothers and the twins mocking Hans for daydreaming. It's implied some of the sons have also developed Middle Child Syndrome. Their father's Social Darwinist mindset compounds the problem even more, leading to fierce competition between his sons for his approval and a sense of inferiority when they don't. It is why the Westergaard clan has become so dysfunctional.
- Proud Beauty: Most of the king's sons are narcissists who care mostly about their own reflections in the mirrors around the castle.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Over time, their father's psychological abuse corroded them into immature children trapped in the bodies of adults. Some of them even pulled nasty pranks against and/or physically harmed Hans out of pure sadism.
- A Real Man Is a Killer: They openly mock Hans for his unwillingness to kill people. It's part of what causes Hans to change his mind about that.
- Sadist: Except for Lars, all of Hans's brothers are unhinged brutes who see him as their punching bag, including but not limited to throwing objects at him just for daydreaming. They also get into violent brawls with each other at times. Also, when Hans feels hesitant to use violence, he remembers his brothers gloating about how good they felt killing their enemies.
- So Proud of You: All of the princes aim to hear these words come out of their father.
- Spoiled Brat: Some of the favored sons, particularly Caleb, are pampered and doted on by their father for their usefulness.
- Trophy Child: The king only sees his sons as mere reflections of himself, regularly demanding them to be obedient and perfect. His toxic influence and emotional abuse slowly turned them into his sycophantic loyalists.
- Tyke Bomb: Downplayed, but like Hans, most of them were indoctrinated from a young age in the belief that the Westergaards should be "lions, not mice" and only the fittest survive. Showing softness is unacceptable to to their father, so anyone not deemed tough enough must be bullied until they're fully in line with his twisted worldview. Like Hans, his brothers want to impress their father.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy:
- Like Hans, all of his brothers want to please their father and are willing to use dubious means to obtain his admiration.
- One offhand remark by the twins imply that the brothers do crave their mother's affections as well.
- Would Hurt a Child: They physically and emotionally torment Hans even as a small boy. One particular prank involved manipulating him into believing that "King Gotya" will only release the brother if he ran around the entire castle three times in just his underwear.
Prince Caleb of the Southern Isles
The oldest of Hans's brothers, Caleb is first in line and the king's favorite son. Due to the king's favoritism, he has become too spoiled.
- All Take and No Give: Like his father, Caleb wants to have more children with his spouse but blatantly ignores her when she needs his attention.
- Disappointing Older Sibling: Zigzagged. He's the king's favorite out of the 13 sons, while Hans is the youngest and treated like he's the disappointment rather than Caleb. On the other hand, his brothers see him as a Manchild as their father spoiled him and that he regularly fights with his brothers.
- Generation Xerox: Just like the king, he ignores his family and has the same Lack of Empathy the king demonstrates.
- Manchild: He's a Royal Brat who treats the idea of running a kingdom like a child's game.
- Odd Name Out: He's the only named prince of the Southern Isles whose name is five letters instead of four.
- Royal Brat: Caleb treats the idea of running a kingdom like a child's toy or a royal rumble with his brothers at the stables.
- The Slacker: Doesn't take his duties seriously and blatantly ignores his own family in favor of seeking his father's attention.
- The Wrongful Heir to the Throne: Hans and Lars think he'll be a sloppy ruler once he assumes the throne.
Princes Rudi and Runo of the Southern Isles
Fraternal twin brothers of Hans, though their placement is unknown. They bully Hans the most.
- The Prankster: They often pull sadistic pranks on Hans.
- Psychopathic Manchild: They remain immature bullies who pull cruel pranks into adulthood.
- Royal Brat: As with Caleb, they've been spoiled and are immature bullies.
- Strong Family Resemblance: Unlike Rudi (who is a redhead), Runo is a freakishly tall blonde with spiked hair and pale eyes that make him look as if he's perpetually shocked.
- Theme Twin Naming: Are a pair of fraternal twins named "Runo" and "Rudi".
- Trickster Twins: The twins are the pranksters of the family.
- What Does She See in Him?: Hans wonders why any woman would want to court the twins. He's even more puzzled how Runo's wife ended up with him despite thinking she'll be immune to his slick charms.
Prince Lars of the Southern Isles
The third eldest of Hans's brothers, Lars is the only one whom Hans gets along with.
- All for Nothing: The plan he spends three years for, in hopes of helping Hans find love and a new home in Arendelle, is all ruined because Hans just couldn't help himself and exposes his plans to take over Arendelle, explaining them to Anna when he expects her to die soon. She doesn't.
- Awful Wedded Life: Even Lars, the nicest brother, doesn't have a good relationship with his arranged wife Helga, and doubts their baby will make them get along.
- Babies Make Everything Better: Discussed. When Hans learns that Lars is going to be a father, Lars doubts the baby will make him and Helga get along.
- Big Brother Instinct: Downplayed. Lars is the only brother who wants to help Hans, giving him advice and being someone to talk to when things were getting too stressful.
- Big Brother Mentor: He helps Hans learn everything he can about Arendelle and how to be a good suitor in hopes that Elsa would accept him.
- Bookworm: Lars is passionate about history and would spend hours talking about it.
- The Confidant: Besides their mother, Lars is the only person Hans ever feels comfortable with when it comes to the nightmare of living in the Southern Isles. Lars knows how Hans would spend hours at the pier to clear his head, and assists him in many things, such as trying to set Hans up to meet Princess Elsa for a potential marriage. After Hans was deported back home for his crimes, it's unknown how Lars reacted to it.
- Nice Guy: Lars wants to have a good relationship with his wife, and to help Hans find a wife and leave their abusive home for good.
- No Sense of Humor: Lars is described by Hans as being unable to share a laugh and being too serious all the time.
- Shipper with an Agenda: Lars suggests to Hans that he go to Arendelle, meet Elsa and get her to fall in love with him. His reasoning isn't because he thought they'd be a good couple, but that he thinks it's a good opportunity for Hans to start a new life away from home.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Lars had good intentions in helping to mold Hans into Elsa's suitor, but Hans goes further and ends up almost killing two innocent women to gain the Arendellian throne. It also results in Arendelle getting covered in a seemingly-Endless Winter when Elsa gets upset, turns out to secretly be An Ice Person, and loses control of her powers.
- White Sheep: By the end of A Frozen Heart, when Hans has embraced villainy, Lars is now the only son of the king who is nice.
Hans's Sisters-in-Law
Hans's sisters-in-law.
- Awful Wedded Life: The two sisters-in-law mentioned are Helga, Lars's wife, and the unnamed wife of Caleb.note Helga and Lars have a political marriage and don't get along. Caleb's wife only appears once, but when she does, she's clearly uncomfortable and Caleb blatantly ignores her. Hans notes that she's "out of place" and that Caleb treats her like wallpaper.
- No Name Given: Except for Helga (Lars's wife), most of Hans's sisters-in-law are unnamed.
- What Does She See in Him?: Hans is left baffled on how Runo's wife married him despite assuming she'll be immune to his slick charms.
