The Theory Of Magic

The Theory of Magic

Magic works a little differently in every fantasy universe. Some things are typically consistent however, like that magic follows emotion. Frozen definitely follows this but the Frozen universe also has some very unique elements to its magic.

Here’s the basic theory: Memory is magic and magic is powered by emotions and the memory of emotions. The two most powerful emotions are love and fear, but love is always strongest. Many emotions can fuel magic, but only love and fear can create life. This is shown by how Elsa creates life with her magic, both in Frozen and Frozen Fever. Magic and memory are inextricably intertwined.

I wrote this paragraph (inspired by Myth: A Frozen Tale) as a poetic version of my interpretation of the beginning of magic. It was intended to be a passage from Secrets of the Magic Makers.

“In the beginning there was memory. In the beginning there was magic. Magic flowed through the air, fire, water, earth. It danced on the glow of the aurora. It sang with the clouds painted by the setting sun. Magic and memory swirled together in an endless, beautiful harmony. And our world danced. And out of this magic was born life. Ahtohallan emerged from the sea, the perfect combination of magic and memory, uniting them and bringing spirit to the elements of nature, letting the world shine with life.”

Ahtohollan can see the future

Nobody seems to talk about this:

"...A sharp pain of regret stabs at my stomach.

I never did get back home.

I stare down at the water, my vision blurry from the driving rain. To my surprise, a wavering image seems to float up from the depths of the sea.

A girl, laughing, and dancing in the wind.

Is it me? But no... it looks more like...

I turn and ask Agnarr, "Are you seeing this?" But he's gone off to confer with the captain.

I turn back to the water, desperate for another look. But the girl is now gone, too. In her place stand two women. One dressed in a glowing white gown with white-blond hair tumbling down her back. The other - a redhead - clothed in rich greens and black and purples, with a familiar-looking crown atop her head. Both women are smiling.

Smiling at each other.

My breath hitches. Tears well in my eyes. Could it be? Could these two beautiful women really be my daughters? Not as they are now... but as they will be?

Only Ahtohollan knows... a voice seems to whisper in my ear.

The waters churn again and the vision vanishes. I cry out in alarm, causing Agnarr to rush to my side. "What is it?" he asks urgently.

I shake my head. "Nothing," I say. "I just... I thought I saw something in the water."

Was it a vision from Ahtohollan? Or simply a mother's heartfelt wish on a wave? I will never know for certain. But still, I draw that image of my beautiful girls deep into my soul. Their wide smiles. The joyous looks in their eyes. It seems an impossible future.

And yet...

Why couldn't it be? They are strong; they are smart. They will be able to shape their own destinies. Make their ways as Agnarr and I once did. Find their owns happily ever afters.

I just hope they find them together."

-Queen Iduna, Dangerous Secrets

Now this isn't strictly canon because Jen Lee doesn't really consider anything outside of the main 2 movies canon. But I am going to talk about it like it is because the idea that Ahtohollan can see into the future could lean into my whole "Ahtohollan is a way across the veil" theory.

Now, Iduna's vision could be two things:

A visualization from the spirit of Ahtohollan

A true vision of the future

It obviously was not Iduna's wishes as a mother because the description of the girls matched what they looked like at the end of F2 down to the detail. So, I think we can nix that theory.

But what I will say is that it was Iduna's fear the they wouldn't make it, that she would never see her daughters again, and her regret over not seeing her home again that triggered this beautiful blessing for Iduna before she passed on. Ahtohollan showed her this on purpose. No matter which theory below is correct, Iduna was effectively shown the future.

In defense of A Visualization from the Spirit of Ahtohollan

Anna and Elsa were created to be the fifth spirit. They were created to break the dam, reconnect with Ahtohollan, liberate the forest from the mist, bring the spirits back, bring peace between the Northuldra and Arendelle, and carry on their work as the Fifth Spirit, the bridge. They were tied to Ahtohollon, through blood and spirit, from the beginning. They were always going to find their way to the Enchanted Forest because they were created for it. They would always be drawn back. Nothing in life is a certainty... but for once, this was. And Ahtohollan showed that to their mother.

In defense of A True Vision of the Future

Water has memory. Ahtohollan has access to All Memory. But what if, considering the magical nature of Ahtohollan, it's definition of "memory" is different from ours? Take a look at the way the memories work in the glacier, for example. It seems like the more forgotten a memory is, the deeper it is within the glacier. And yet, somehow, the memory is still there! Even though no one remembers the memory!

In magic, water is the connective element. In tarot, water represent relationships, love, emotions, and our inner worlds. In astrology, the water signs are intuitive, emotional, and compassionate. In Frozen, it has memory - a force that connects all of us. And what else is connective?

Time.

From the past to the future. And some say Time is a construct, but many physicists argue against this concept. In physics, it is the fourth dimension. It is a provable dimension of creation.

What if Elsa has yet to actually tap into her full power, as a spirit who can solidify the most (arguably) spiritual element?

What if Ahtohollan showed Iduna the future of her daughters?

Conclusion

Look, you all know I hate the whole thing in fiction that you have a shadow of what you actually want and somehow that is supposed to be comfort. Like in Harry Potter, with him holding the memory of his parents in his heart as comfort. Or the fact that Harry saw them in the 4th book with priori incantatem only for Dumbledore to promptly crush Harry's dreams because "the dead can't really come back" (no they can't but they were there).

I personally think that whole concept is a bit of a copout. I think Iduna was truly calling Elsa from the other side to bring her to Ahtohollan. I think Iduna truly saw a glimpse of the future of her daughters.

But either way, the whole point of that vision wasn't what it truly was. The whole point was to show Iduna what she needed to know: Your daughters are going to be okay.

I had noticed this a while ago but just learned something in Latin class today that makes this even better, so here we go:

When Anna pulls off Elsa’s glove at the coronation, she pulls off the left glove, which means that all of Elsa’s accidental magic as she flees Arendelle was with her left hand. Traditionally, left handedness and the left hand in general was associated with evil, or the devil. Even the Latin word for left or left handed, siníster, also means harmful or ill-omened. For many years, left handed people were considered strange or wicked and were forced to use their right hand instead. I think this was absolutely an intentional detail that reinforces Elsa’s negative perception of her magic, up until “well now they know,” when she pulls off her other glove and starts using both hands. The magic that caused the initial destruction in Arendelle was from her left hand and therefore symbolically associated with evil in her eyes and the eyes of the townspeople.

I can hardly describe how much this movie has meant to me 🥹🥹

Hi! This is my first time having a tumblr account, but I’ve kind of been lurking for a while! I absolutely love Disney and especially Frozen, and really enjoy writing about them, so I’m planning to post some analyses soon!

Wish Analysis Pt. 3/3

I loved the use of color symbolism throughout the movie, with Magnifico starting as blue and gold and changing to green as he was corrupted. Lime green in Disney movies has traditionally been used to represent the villain, so I love the exaggerated use of it here. I’ve seen the phrase Every Villain Is Lime as E.V.I.L. and I feel like the visual artists really just went with that in Wish.

The use of When You Wish Upon A Star throughout the movie also got me. At several key points the background music was very similar to or exactly WYWUAS. Also, as my sister pointed out; in the after credits scene, Sabo is playing WYWUAS and his wish was to create something to inspire the next generation 🥹🥹

I’ve come up with a phrase to help with story analysis, that I don’t feel like explaining right now (maybe I will at some point, IDK), but part of it is the word “completed.” In stories, when a character says something definitive like “always” or “never” it almost always gets broken. My sister pointed out at the beginning when Amaya was referred to as Magnifico’s “loyal wife” that she would probably betray him, and sure enough. When Asha is talking about her wish to Dahlia and the others, she says it will not affect their lives in any way, and it very much does.

Ok, I think that’s all I’ve got for right now? I will probably do another post about Wish pretty soon when I feel like typing it all out haha. Thanks for reading if you made it this far, I’m so sorry this was so long 😂🤦‍♀️.

TL;DR: I loved everything about Wish. There were lots of references to other Disney movies, the songs followed the classic formula in many ways but also broke out of it in some ways, and there were various other beautiful things I appreciated throughout the movie!