The Fifth Spirit of Frozen II (2019)

Anna: ‘Did you meet the fifth spirit?’
Elsa: (pointed look)
Anna: ‘It’s you. YOU’RE the fifth spirit!’
Elsa: ‘Well actually a bridge has two sides. And mother had two daughters.’

Me: (quoting Anna) Wait, what?

Isn’t a spirit in the world of Frozen supposed to be, like, eternal? or really old? How does this one/do these two mortals come to be spirits? While they’re still mortal, no less? And Anna doesn’t even have powers – that is exactly why she’s making that face in the image! because Olaf had to go and mention it…

And then there’s Iðunn. She’s, you know, deceased, and therefore yes maybe she can be a spirit. But my official Frozen II soundtrack says that her appearance in Ahtohallan is as ‘Memory Iduna’.

‘Memory’? Does that mean everything Elsa saw was just Iðunn’s memories? Then where did the ‘memory’ find out the lyrics Elsa was singing in ‘Show Yourself’?

The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. Sorry Frozen II, I love you, but this makes no sense.

So…they aren’t spirits?

It’s canon now so…ughhhhhhh yes they are.

But my interpretation is that Elsa and Iðunn are the ‘chosen ones’ of some of the spirits…probably the fifth one but also one of the elemental ones. Iðunn is helped on numerous occasions by the Wind spirit, while ice is frozen water and could suggest a connection with the Water spirit. I intend to add this interpretation into my saga (Coming soon…)

The identity of the fifth spirit

All well and good if Elsa and Iðunn are ‘chosen ones’, but what is this elusive fifth spirit that has chosen them?

The fifth spirit is a ‘bridge’ spirit that links the other four classical elemental spirits together. Yes, it makes no sense to call it the spirit of ‘bridge’, or ‘connection’ – what does that even mean?

I would offer this view: the fifth spirit governs Knowledge.

From its home in Ahtohallan, it receives the knowledge of basically the whole world in the form of their memories (since water has memory, apparently).

And its response to the outbreak of war within the Norðuldra Forest was quite unique. Unlike the rest of the spirits, it decided to seal the forest instead of simply joining in the wrath. It does not seem to be the case that the Knowledge spirit instigated the other spirits to turn on the warring factions. I instead interpret the Knowledge spirit’s move as one to ensure that Arnadalr could not send reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Knowledge spirit, knowing that Iðunn was ‘pure of heart’, decided that her offspring would be the ones to resolve the conflict. How would this offspring be known? By the fact that she would be enchanted with the power of a spirit. But the spirit thought ahead, and knew also that one would not be enough…

Moving on to the scene where Elsa freezes in the depths of Ahtohallan, if her powers are a gift from the spirit, I see no reason why the spirit cannot take it away, especially when Elsa is right in its home domain. She freezes as she comes to learn the truth of her grandfather – the dam he offered the Norðuldra people was meant to weaken their water supply. I interpret this as the spirit essentially testing Elsa: now you know the truth. Are you going to do something about it? If you are, then you are worthy of the powers I have given you and I will release you. If not, then be forgotten here. The only way Elsa could have broken the spirit’s curse, then, was to get a message out to Anna about this dark truth – and she did. With the destruction of the dam, Elsa is released from her icy stasis and is allowed to go back to save her kingdom from destruction.

A very wise spirit to have foreseen this and planned it out like that. I don’t think it’s a stretch to think of it as a Knowledge spirit, if not a Wisdom spirit.

Metamovie Interpretations

And isn’t knowledge/wisdom what links concepts and people together in real life?

For example, applying knowledge of one’s own language to a foreign language may yet allow us to discover commonalities between languages. Applying knowledge about biochemistry could help better understand the human mind. Applying knowledge about cultures allows us to smooth over intercultural conflict.

The pursuit of knowledge and thereby truth is what joins the entirety of the human race. Of course, that does not mean that conflict will never arrive – differing views about the truth exist. But when humans come together in a spirit of curiosity, barriers break down and we learn things from one another.

The pursuit, acquisition, and sharing of knowledge has, century after century, pushed humanity forward. Slowly at first, but the lives of many people across the world are better now than they ever could have been in history, yes because of unprecedented technological advancement, but that itself is built on a deep base of knowledge-gathering and discussion.

So is the spirit one of Knowledge? Or Wisdom? Or Truth? Or Peace?

Someone else told me he read about the spirit being Unity, and I’d say that’s not a shabby theory. My theory about the spirit’s temperament coincides quite closely with that idea.

I, though, stick to my theory of Knowledge, because in its pursuit, we can grow (as Elsa does), and with its blessing, we can achieve (as Elsa does also).

Gegnum djúpan vetr fer ek at leita þín.