RINA SAWAYAMA
THIS HELL, 2022
El querer morir ya se vuelve un pasatiempo.
Estaba ahí para todos, pero cuando se trataba de mi no había nadie o llegaban tarde.
La historia de todos mis días
Créditos en la imagen
-Una chica invisible.
Mi mamá siempre ha sido la razón por la cual no me he suicidado…
Bridge of Spirit
So it’s been several weeks since I posted a Frozen/Frozen II analysis, and even longer since I wrote one about Elsa/Elsa and Anna. Did you guys miss me? 😉
Anyway, there is one topic from the second film that has been on my mind since it came out, and as of late, I have been thinking about it more and more that I decided to write an analysis to try and make things as clear as possible once and for all.
In the film, when Honeymaren first mentions the existence of the fifth spirit, she tells Elsa that this spirit serves as a bridge between the magic of nature (which consists of the Northuldra and the four elemental spirits in the Enchanted Forest) and humanity (which consists of the non-magical people of Arendelle). Honeymaren’s description makes it clear that the fifth spirit and the bridge are one and the same.
Elsa goes to Ahtohallan to find the source of the voice that has been calling her, believing it belongs to this fifth spirit. Instead, Elsa discovers that the fifth spirit is her, which apparently means that her purpose is being the bridge between the Northuldra and Arendelle.
Upon reuniting with Anna following the end of the curse on the forest, Anna voices her realization of her sister’s identity:
But then Elsa responds with the following words:
By saying that a bridge has two sides and that their mother had two daughters, Elsa implies that she and Anna, meaning the two of them TOGETHER, are the bridge, that each one of them represents each side.
This would mean that BOTH girls are the fifth spirit, not just Elsa herself…and this has been confirmed to be true by Jennifer Lee.
For a while, I was very confused by these words and tried to make sense of them. Now I understood the concept that both girls represent each half of the whole bridge, but I felt that only ONE of the sisters could actually be the TRUE fifth spirit. Of course, that would be Elsa since she has magic like the other four spirits of the forest. And earlier, when in Ahtohallan, Elsa steps onto the centerpiece located between the diamonds of the four elemental spirits. As she as she does, it lights up, and its official symbol appears, flanking each of the diamonds. This is the moment that makes the audience, and Elsa herself, aware that SHE is the fifth spirit.
So wIth all of this in mind, it would seem that the fifth spirit was actually not the official name for the ENTIRE bridge, but just for the half that represented magic.
But recently, I have been thinking more and more about it, and as I do, I understand how Jen Lee saying that the two girls do act as the fifth spirit, and thus, the bridge.
Before going to Ahtohallan, Elsa is realized by Anna to have been born with magic as a gift of Iduna’s heroic act of rescuing Agnarr during the battle between their respective peoples. By the end of the movie, we can comprehend that while Anna was born without magic, both girls were born as a reward to Iduna’s good deed. They were both appointed as the fifth spirit with the purpose to serve as the bridge between magic and humanity.
Elsa and Anna were born because they were meant to work TOGETHER to right the wrongs caused by Runeard and bring a true, peaceful unity between the Northuldra and Arendelle. Yes, Elsa may be the only sister with powers, but she would not have been able do EVERYTHING entirely on her own. Anna HAD to come to the forest to help her sister, even though they were unable to remain side by side throughout the entire journey.
Like I explained in “Girls in the Mist”, when the group first came upon the mist, it ONLY parted when the girls held hands and Elsa touched it. (This moment was the earliest hint that both sisters were necessary to undo the curse on the forest.) While in the forest, Elsa managed to tame three of the spirits and discovered the cause of the curse in Ahtohallan. After Elsa temporarily froze, Anna finished her sister’s work by provoking the giants into destroying the dam, which lifted the mist. This act also caused Elsa to thaw out, and she raced back to Arendelle to prevent the tidal wave released by the broken dam from destroying the kingdom.
So even though they weren’t physically together the whole time, Elsa and Anna accomplished their mission together, and this proves that they play the role as the fifth spirit TOGETHER. The two of them make up the bridge, with each one of them acting as each individual side of the bridge. Elsa represents the magical side as the OFFICIAL fifth spirit and the protector of the forest, while Anna represents the side of humanity, the non-magical side, as the queen of Arendelle.
As the two halves of the whole bridge, Anna and Elsa have fulfilled their purpose in uniting Arendelle and the Northuldra, bringing true peace between both lands and people. And now with Anna assuming her role as Arendelle’s queen and Elsa assuming her role as the guardian of the forest, the two sisters will continue to keep the peace and unity together. 😉😊
Another great analysis my friend!
Anna is so incredibly important to Elsa, so it only makes sense that she would be a part of the fifth spirit. She not only saves Elsa’s life on multiple occasions, but also provides her with continual emotional support, and I think it’s clear in Frozen II that Elsa finally realizes how much she needs that support.
It makes the scene below so incredibly beautiful. Notice how Elsa takes a nervous gulp and simultaneous reaches for Anna’s hand.
Elsa cannot be the fifth spirit without Anna, because Elsa cannot exist without Anna!
The Lighthouse (Robert Eggers, 2019)
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Midsommar (Ari Aster, 2019)
The Witch (Robert Eggers, 2015)