The Disney movie Frozen 2 ends with the twist reveal that Elsa is the “fifth spirit,” which hints that her ice magic is just one aspect of her abilities. The Disney+ short Myth: A Frozen Tale confirms this by offering more background information about the Elements and the “human spirit” who helps maintain balance among the magical entities. While the animated spin-off title doesn’t feature Elsa herself, its fairytale framework suggests it is an old legend — and that Elsa is the prophesized return of the fifth spirit.
Frozen 2 was Disney’s highly anticipated sequel to the pop culture phenomenon Frozen, released in 2013. Frozen centered on the sisterly bond between Elsa and Anna; although they loved each other, Elsa’s fear of her own magical abilities led to her self-imposed isolation. The sisters’ alienation was exacerbated by the sudden death of their parents, Queen Iduna and King Agnarr. Frozen saw Elsa finally accept her powers, and eventually, open herself up to her sister Anna.
Myth: A Frozen Tale suggests that Elsa’s self-acceptance triggered the return of the other elemental spirits. Although things are peaceful for a time in Arendelle, Elsa hears a mysterious voice in Frozen 2 calling to her; by pursuing the voice, Elsa wakes the Elements and — by working together with Anna — must find a way to calm them. The fairytale in Myth: A Frozen Tale explains that the Elements disappeared after the human spirit “lost its rhythm,” and predicts that the magical entities would return “if the fifth spirit can find its rhythm.” Elsa is obviously the fifth spirit, and she finds her rhythm in Frozen 2 — but the story in Myth: A Frozen Tale hints that she is only just beginning to discover the breadth of her true power.
In Frozen, Elsa’s parents tell the rock trolls that she was born with her ice magic, but they don’t elaborate on its nature much further. Frozen 2 ends with Elsa stating she is the fifth spirit, and that she would be staying in the Enchanted Forest to act as a bridge between the humans and the magical spirits. Some have already speculated that this sets up Elsa to have powers beyond her ice manipulation — and Myth: A Frozen Tale seems to confirm this. At no time does the story specify what the abilities of the human spirit are — just that it was born after the other four, and that it fell out of sync with the rest, causing them to “rage.” Ice powers might be how magic potential first manifested in a young Elsa, but there’s no reason to believe that is the extent of her abilities.
Elsa’s interaction with the other spirits suggests she may possess the ability to manipulate all elements. Frozen 2 shows Elsa taming Gale, the wind spirit, Bruni, the fire spirit, and Nokk, the mythical water horse. Although Nokk is powerful, Elsa’s ice abilities give her an edge in dealing with it — but don’t totally explain how she is able to ride on it without freezing the water solid. Similarly, her battle against Gale suggests her ice magic gives her some control over wind. Finally, since Bruni’s fire has little to no affect on Elsa, it’s possible she may have the capacity to manipulate fire as well. While it may appear that Frozen is full of plot holes, it could be that some of these seeming inconsistencies relate to aspects of her powers that have not been fully explored — something Disney can do if they proceed with Frozen 3.
