Elsa Was Born On The Longest Night...

Elsa was born on the longest night...

As a child, she was ashamed of that. Like everything else about her life. She held the power of the deadliest season and she was born on the deadliest day. Everything about her reeked of danger and it would be no surprise that when she grew up, she would become the evilest woman who would ever live.

At least then, Anna would write her off. At least then, she wouldn't have to worry about breaking her sister's heart like she broke everything else.

And Anna would knock her door like she did everyday, every Christmas, every birthday. She would knock, pleading for Elsa to join her for the Festival of Lights. The same one Arendelle would do every year. Lighting up the whole square with their candles.

"C'mon Elsa... it's your birthday!"

I know. I know. I KNOW.

In her fierce frustration, she would shake in the silence. Her power would leach out of her, claiming the ground and climbing the walls. Her sister would always leave before her magic would reach the door. Elsa could at least calculate that.

But after everything that had happened, how Anna had thawed her heart, and the year they had had together... oh that first year was magical...

Anna was not taking no for an answer.

"Do you remember the festival of lights?"

"Of course I do. They were beautiful."

"They are. I think they are the most beautiful festival we have. And it's on your birthday! I wish it was on my birthday!"

Elsa hugged herself, averting her gaze. Around her feet, her magic froze the ground. She was not afraid... and Anna gently wrapped her hands around her arms, "What is it, Elsa?"

Elsa wanted to hide it. But... she exhaled and willed herself to share: "I have this narrative in my head. Do you know the number of people that die in the winter, Anna?"

"Elsa..."

"It's the highest for any season. And my birthday starts it."

Anna rolled her eyes.

"Anna!"

"I'm sorry! It's just... Elsa, love is the way to control your magic. That means ALL. OVER. You can't pick and choose what parts of yourself to love!"

Elsa pursed her lips, "Fair point."

"Happy Birthday! You are coming to the Festival of Lights."

"Of course. I am Queen."

"Of course you are," Anna smirked. She linked arms with her sister and together they walked out of the palace into the courtyard. It was beautiful, of course, decorated with bows of holly, garlands of red and gold, and lit with candles. Elsa expected Anna to talk to her quickly and eagerly like she always did, but this time she was silent. Curious, Elsa stopped with her sister at the end of the courtyard and Anna turned to her. She took Elsa's hands with her own.

"We are going to be silent until we reach the square."

"We are?"

"Don't be sassy," Anna smiled. "We are going to be silent and we are just going to watch the lights."

"Why?"

"Because this is the first time I am doing this with you in a really long time. I could talk to you through all of it, but this is special to me. I am experiencing your birthday with you for the first time since you were eight, Elsa."

A lump filled Elsa's throat, "Anna, I'm so--"

"You didn't do anything wrong."

Elsa bit back on her words.

"Repeat it back to me."

"I... I didn't do anything wrong." It still felt so strange coming from her lips. She nodded, starting to walk -

"And--" Anna stopped her mid-stride. "I want you to drink it all in too."

Elsa tipped her head to the side, curiously. "What is your goal here?"

"You were born on the first day of winter. You were also born on the longest night," Anna replied. "Drink it all in."

Anna linked her arms with Elsa. They smiled at each other. And so... they started their walk. The town had already made their way to the town square, so the entire street was deserted.

For Anna, she was impressed with how it all came out. Elsa had been more anxious the last few days, so Anna had taken on some of the duties of prepping Arendelle for this festival. The candles were warm, she could see trees in all the windows. The scent of warm bread and sweet treats billowed through the air. She breathed it in; it all had come together beautifully. The best part of all? Her sister was walking beside her.

For Elsa... was this really the longest night? She, of course, knew how the cycle of the seasons and day and night worked. But candles lined the street, firelight burned within the houses, and laughter could be heard from the town square at the end of the road. The candles reflected in the frost-covered street, creating a dazzling glitter on the ice. Up above, the stars spread infinitely in every direction and Elsa could swear hovering in the air, translucent, was a tinge of frost.

They reached the festival and a silence came over the crowd. They were facing away from the sisters, towards the eastern sky. A couple of the townsfolk came up to them, holding out already-lit candles. The sisters took them and and the attendants good-naturedly put their fingers over their lips.

"Good," Anna whispered. "We didn't miss it."

"Miss what? I remember it being much louder than this."

"It happens once every twenty years or so."

"What?"

Anna pointed to the eastern sky. The whispy clouds parted to reveal the high moon, full and splendorous. She shined bright and white and all the townsfolk raised their candles to her, as if greeting her.

Elsa saw it.

The frosted town, the moon shone down, the ocean of flickering candlelight. The faded frost in the air, just out of sight, glittering. And the stars... crystal clear, climbing across the sky, glittering like thousands of jewels. All of it together as a frosty, sacred promise.

A promise of light.

Anna whispered, "The longest night."

Tears came to Elsa's eyes. She covered her heart with her hand as her people started to sing their song for the return of the light. On this darkest night, they raised light up high. They welcomed the moon, all her beauty, and asked her to put in a good word with the sun.

Elsa's bottom lip trembled and as her tears fell, she sobbed. Anna pulled her into a hug as Elsa whispered to her, "Maybe if I had seen this as a child, I wouldn't have been so afraid for so long."

"I love you, Elsa." Anna wept into her sister's shirt.

"I love you too, Anna." They parted and Elsa took her little sister's head in her hands, gently wiping away her tears with her thumb, "Thank you for never giving up on me."

~

Happy Birthday, Elsa!

Elsa has discovered new memories in Ahtohallan

But for some reason, she can’t access them.

She's tried everything! Her own magic, the assistance of the spirits, even Northuldra wisdom! Nothing works!

But Elsa has a feeling.

It’s the same feeling that told her to trust the voice that brought her north to Ahtohallan. It’s the same voice that told her the spirits of the Enchanted Forest are good. Now, that feeling is telling Elsa to talk to her sister.

Anna, The Queen of Arendelle.

The sisters don’t quite know it yet, but those memories they are about to find are yours.

Introducing...

A fanzine, for fans, by fans! 10 installments over 6 months!

10 installments for 10 years!

Elsa and Anna will descend into the depths of Ahtohallan to find our memories of Frozen. You see, Elsa and Anna together are the Fifth Spirit. To see these memories they need to work together to part the ice. As they do, they will find more and more memories through each year, through a whole decade! They will find everything—the movies, the books, the spin-offs—and our memories too!

Those memories are your creativity!

We are calling YOU, the fans of Frozen, to share your creativity! Art, poems, photography, non-fiction, short fiction! Frozen has touched so many hearts… what does your heart have to say about it? What year means the most to you? What are your memories?

Let’s show Anna and Elsa together!

If you are so inclined, you can find more information below:

Water Has Memory: A Frozen Decade is a fan project in the form of a single fanzine released in 10 installments over a 6 month period. Starting with the 10th Anniversary, November 27, 2023 to April 27, 2024.

Each installment will align with each of the ten years Frozen has been with us: 2013-2023.

At the end of this 6-month journey, the fanzine will be brought together as one PDF.

The submissions period is OPEN. We will be accepting submissions for the YEAR OF 2013 until January 12, 2024. We will also be accepting submissions for other years during that time. More submission period for the years will be announced later on, on a rolling basis, until we reach that year in the project OR we reach the maximum submissions for that year.

There will be a maximum of 10 SUBMISSIONS accepted per year.

We are accepting submissions in the form of: Art, photography, short fiction, non-fiction, poetry

Art – All art accepted EXCEPT FOR animatics and longform comics

Photography – All photography accepted except for 18+ content

Short fiction – Fanfiction is welcome! Word count: 1000 words max, 500 words min

Non-fiction – Word count: 700 words max, 400 words min

Poetry – 20 lines max, No shorter than a Haiku

The means of submissions can be found in two places: on THIS TUMBLR and through our email: frozen10fanzine@gmail.com. When you submit your piece, please include what name/handle you would like to sign your work with, what year (2013-2023) you would like your piece to be placed under, if you so choose your bio of no more than 100 words (to be used when the full fanzine is brought together at the end), and if you so choose an image/character/picture to be used alongside your bio (to be used when the full fanzine is brought together at the end).

Please DO NOT submit a piece unless you are certain you can commit the time and energy needed for the project (i.e. communication, meeting the appropriate standards, punctuality, adaptation to change, etc.)

Please understand that this is a project for fans OF ALL AGES. We are PG-13 here at most. There is no hate for 18+ content, this is just not the place for it. That said: OFFENSIVE CONTENT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. This includes:

Hate speech

Gore

Bullying/Gatekeeping/Shaming

THIS IS NOT AN 18+ PROJECT

No NSFW content

Keep the language appropriate

If you have any more questions, please reach out on our tumblr or at frozen10fanzine@gmail.com.

We look forward to seeing your memories ❄️

ATTENTION

A Message from the "Water Has Memory" Team:

Just a reminder that our email is:

frozen10fans@gmail.com

If you have seen any other contact info or may have sent your submission to another email, that was a clerical error on our part. Apologies for that!

Thank you!

-Water Has Memory Team

PLEASE NOTE

Our email is frozen10fans@gmail.com

Any other contact info was due to clerical error. Apologies for the confusion.

Ok, last post about Wish for now, I promise! A few years ago, I was writing a lot of short-ish analyses on various Disney Movies, and I remember I actually wrote one for Wish based only on the song This Wish! So I thought it would be fun to go through my analyses from over a year ago and see how correct I was now that I’ve actually seen the movie…

The black text is all direct quotes from what I wrote over a year ago. The purple is my comments on it now.

09/12/22

Considering that it is over a year until this movie comes out (the current date is 9/12/22), I am fully aware how ridiculous it is that I’m already writing an analysis on it. The main character, Asha, appears to be princess-like, although she may not be actual royalty. (I personally think she isn’t royal or high-ranking at all, since I think that will work better with the story and themes). That is actually true, although I still think she is Disney Princess coded. When I listened to More for Us (This was the original title for This Wish) the other day, I was literally crying, and that is with it out of context. It is a beautiful song that combines the simple magic of The Golden Age with the power of the universal truths and complex themes of The Revival Era. It is a perfect I-want song, and showcases Disney at its heart as a beautiful celebration for its 100th anniversary.

09/13/22

I finally found the lyrics to More for Us! (This Wish) Now that I have the lyrics, I can analyze the song properly. Also, after reading the lyrics, I’ve changed my mind about what I think the themes will be and where the story will go. Seriously, by giving us the I-want song, Disney gave us the most valuable single piece of information they could give. I have a LOT to say about these lyrics. Who is “us”? Now, I’m thinking that either she is part of a minority group in her kingdom, ehhhh, that is not true or that this is kind of a kingdom where the rulers (presumably the people who live in the tall palace-like building on the left side of the concept art) control/harm the people in some way. That was spot on. Knowing Disney, I would assume the first option, but the way she says “open their eyes to all lies” implies some sort of combination of the two options. I’m thinking that themes could be something like, action, making choices, standing up, etc. I will stand by those themes, in a way. They certainly aren't the only ones, but they are definitely present (think “if not us, then who and when” from Knowing What I Know Now. I would also say a theme is how knowing the truth can change your perspective. And a bit about willful ignorance in the way that the people unquestioningly gave their wishes to Magnifico because it was easier than trying to pursue them themselves. It appears that Asha is on the edge of something when she sings this. She’s had some sort of realization that sets her apart from everyone else in her world, but she hasn’t taken the step to act on it yet (“I’m past dipping my toes in, but not past diving in”). By challenging Magnifico and learning about the wishes, she’s gone too far to go back to her life just as it was, but she hasn’t made a decision on how to act on this yet, but she knows she needs to. By the end of the song, she has made her decision to act on her realization/feelings. Mhhhmmm not quite. I think she knows she needs to act already when she starts singing, she just doesn't know how. And that’s what Star shows her. She gains strength and confidence throughout the song. It acts as an I-want and a catalyst, as most of the recent I-want songs do. Yeah, that is definitely true. I find it interesting that the I-want itself was the catalyst, but I love it. It feels very Disney. Asha says “the way you always taught me to.” Who is “you”? My guess would be some sort of (likely dead) mentor figure like a parent or grandparent. Yeah, Disney’s pretty predictable with the dead parents. It does make sense story wise though. Whether this is the case or not, whoever “you” is has clearly had a significant impact on Asha, her personality, her values, and how she views the world. They will be an important part of the story, even if they’ve died before the movie begins. Her father was actually mentioned directly less than I predicted, but I still think that what he taught her about the stars’ guidance stuck with her and is the reason she wished on one to begin with. So in a way, her dad did have a big impact on the story, just in a less obvious way. And he definitely affected how Asha views the world and how she chooses to respond to what she learned while in the palace.

Translating the Runes in Secrets of the Magic Makers

Ok, so I already said in my previous post (X) that I love Secrets of the Magic Makers and the runic writing in Frozen in general, but now I’m going to actually talk about the translations of the runes.

Most* of the runes shown in Frozen movies and shorts are historically accurate and translatable. They are Younger Futhark runes, used in Nordic regions beginning around the 9th century. The Younger Futhark alphabet has 16 runes and is a simplification of the Elder Futhark, which had 24 originally. The Younger Futhark alphabet was used throughout Scandinavia in the Viking Age and declined after Catholicism was introduced. (Source: Runes Illustrated by Rachel Newcombe)

* I say most because the runes in Olaf’s Frozen Adventure on the bell are not historically accurate. They are simply a direct English transliteration of the words “Ring in the Season”

Disney worked with Old Norse language expert Jackson Crawford (you can find his YT channel here (X)) to ensure that the runes in F1 are historically accurate.

Ok, history lesson over, let’s actually talk about how these runes are relevant to the Frozen story.

I did not translate these myself, although I have kind of taught myself how to now. These translations come from Panya on this website. If you are interested in the detailed translations, I would highly recommend checking it out, as it is truly fascinating!

Here is the cover of the book. It translates roughly to Runes of Knowledge, but I believe this book to also be Secrets of the Magic Makers (see my previous post for full explanation).

The inside of the book is 9 lines of text, repeated twice. It appears to say something like

Someone (subject is unclear) was turned to stone (ice?) by the power of the moon. The trolls from the dark mountain realm have healing hands. A soul wounded from cold will heal if brought very quickly to the field of them (the trolls). Trolls have such a nature that they can get sorcery out of the body to save it. Such action done in true love is the only one which can thaw a heart stoned (frozen?) very quickly.

It isn't exactly clear or easy to read, but I think that it tells the story of an ancient Arendellian (possibly Aren, but that’s mostly just a headcanon) whose heart was frozen by some power of the moon. It goes on to say that trolls have the power to remove magic, but that the only way to thaw a frozen heart is an act of true love.

This is VERY interesting as it implies that someone in the ancient past had a frozen heart. It could just be an old story, something that never actually happened. I personally don’t believe there was ever a single person who was the fifth spirit before Elsa and by extension no human who ever wielded ice powers like hers before. Another option is perhaps whoever it was that angered the spirits in some way or ventured too far into Ahtohallan and began to freeze? Or it could be a figurative frozen heart in the sense of a lack of love and compassion. I suppose only Ahtohallan knows this answer.

The other thing that makes this interesting is that it directly says that an act of true love will thaw a frozen heart. Which means that the answer was right there all along. The entire message of love will thaw was summed up here in runes at the very beginning of the movie. This also means that this was part of an Arendellian myth or story at some point and has been forgotten by the time Elsa is born.

So yeah, not really a big revelation or anything, but it is certainly interesting. I would love to know more details about this story and its origin, but again, only Ahtohallan knows. Overall I do think it's fascinating, as it gives us more information about Ancient Arendellian beliefs and traditions that still hold relevance in the time Frozen is actually set. As someone who is OBSESSED with the ancient myths and stories of Arendelle and the surrounding areas, this is so so intriguing to me and I absolutely love it!