Analysis of Types: Chapter 5: Ice-type: Part 3: In-Universe Symbolism and Mythology

So, what is Ice-type's role, really?

The Legendaries and Their Role:

Arctic:

Articuno:

Representing winter air, whose water it freezes, Articuno makes it snow on the mountains. Its wings are said to be made of ice. It is believed to be based off Simurgh, an ancient giant bird from Iranian mythology.

Regice:

One of the three Regis, it is a golem made by Regigigas out of ice. It cannot melt. Its patterns on it are braille letters, though they don't mean anything.

Boundary:

Kyurem:

One of the Tao Trio, Kyurem is the husk of the original dragon. It is supposed to look like a zombie dragon. It represents wuji, absence of yin and yang, and boundaries, hence its appearance. Its tail is supposed to look like the end point of a oil burner, representing an absence of a lighting part(like Reshiram's torch or Zekrom's generator turbo engines).

Its frozen body might be based off Satan from Dante's Inferno, who, like Kyurem, drops from heaven into the depths of hell, and gets frozen over due to absence of God's divine love. Its three forms and tendency to eat people might represent how Satan is depicted to eat traitors with its three heads, and its ability to capture Reshiram and Zekrom and bound them to itself might represent early hermaphroditic depictions of Satan, as well the Anima Sola, the chained spirit.

The Trainers and Their Roles:

Lorelei:

Despite being a member of Sinnoh Elite Four, she is actually from the Four Island. She is known for her smart battling style, though she keeps plushies.

Pryce:

"The Teacher of Winter's Harshness", he is an old trainer who is past his prime. He is not too important in the games, but he serves a large role in Adventures.

Glacia:

A non-native to Hoenn, she is a traveller who has come to Hoenn to train her Ice-types. According to her, the tropical land makes it great for training Ice-types.

Candice:

"The Diamond Dust Girl!", she is fascinated by fashion and romance, and obsessed with kiai. In the games she inspires Maylene with her studious and confident nature. Like Pryce, she plays a bigger role in the animé.

Brycen:

An Asian man in Unova, he is known as "Ice Mask". He is a martial artist who serves as a movie star, both as a villain and as a hero.

Wulfric:

"Tough as an iceberg, hot as a furnace.", he is the final Gym Leader of Kalos. He is an old military officer, implied to be a former soldier in the navy, but he cares about preservation of nature. He is notable for both being a fan of Brycen-Man Series and explaining Ice's nature:

"Y'know what? Ice is both extremely hard and terribly fragile at the same time. You know what that means? Depending on which Pokémon you choose and what moves they use, I could be your most challenging opponent yet or I could be a total pushover."

Note: Though Sina serves the Ice-type expert in Alola, she will not be listed because that is not her primary purpose.

The Overview:

Almost all three legendaries are associated with cold weather, mountain tops and isolation. Since there is not much other legendaries, it is hard to see where Ice can grow further. Possibly more aquatic based Ice-types will appear in the future.

For Ice-type trainers, they are all generally associated with self-betterment and travelling. It seems that Ice-type trainers have no problem in travelling long roads to train themselves and learn new things, an oddity considering how they live in isolated areas. They are also quite passionate about stuff they care about, though in a different manner than hot-boiling Fire-type trainers.

Ice-types odd oxymoronic nature seems to have affected both legendaries and the trainers, depending on how prepared you are, they can be either completely out of your reach, or just within your grasp. But you need to make some preparation, consciously or unconsciously.