The Northuldra Scroll
A Frozen 2 theory by your favorite Lore Monger
In Frozen 2, we learned a lot more about Arendellian heritage, as well as their connection with the Northuldra, but the story shares something more than that. On the scroll that the girls find inside the ship, they ask each other “what do all these symbols mean?”And I think I have an answer! Your favorite Lore Monger has done some extensive research into ancient language structures and their development, and a couple interesting things came to light. BUT! You might want to do some of your own research on Scandinavian and Sami spiritual traditions.
Please use this Reference Key so you can follow along:
She/Her: Proper noun; referring to Ahtohallan as an actual Goddess
Source: The source of Life itself
she/her: Non-proper noun, referring to Elsa
The Scroll
First off, what the crap is that scroll that the girls found?! If you break the scroll into sections, it’s separated using hexagons. Each hexagon is a piece of the passage, and I think each line on the scroll is a different “sentence” or “paragraph”, depending on the length of the passage. In most Pagan pictorial writings, like this one, dots, triangles and squares were used to represent punctuation. So, I believe we can consider these pieces as stops or pauses in the passages.Hexagonal language is used most commonly for computer science and coding, so I believe this was partially why it’s designed like this. Obviously, the artists who worked on the movie were virtual artists, so this makes complete sense to me. It’s a standard form of computer coding.
Another possibility for the use of hexagonal language was actually an idea I got while watching SuperCarlinBros on YouTube. In one of their videos, he mentions a type of ice called Ice XI which is the level of ice that they believe Elsa’s powers to be. Something interesting mentioned about Ice XI is that it forms in hexagonal crystals. Could this just be a clever nod to the theme of the movie?
My question: is there a culture that uses hexagonal language in a pictorial sense? So far, the closest I’ve gotten is Cuneiform and African. There are hints of Norse runes in the scroll, but not many. Not even the Elements have traditional runic representations. I even compared the runes to those in Brave to see if maybe Disney used a similar theme and they are completely different.
BUT, if you look closely at the scroll, I think it’s the history of the Fifth Spirit.
As we know, Frozen is loosely based off the interactions between the Scandinavian and Sami cultures. But most of the people who try to “translate” Frozen’s message are pure intellectuals. They rarely consider the fact that the scroll is obviously Northuldran or Arendelle would have known about it. And as King Runeard said “the Northuldra practice magic.” To that point, something needs to be said: as much as Disney seems to fail at following most cultural history, somehow they manage to stick to the laws of magic. Most importantly, that means the Northuldra are an indigenous people, and therefore can be considered part of the Pagan collective of spiritual beliefs.
Personally, I believe the scroll was handed down to Iduna before her parents died, because Honeymarren told them the scarf Iduna gave her daughters was from one of the oldest Northuldra families. This tells me that Iduna was from one of the oldest Northuldra families and was probably taught the true history of Ahtohallan, but couldn’t share too much with anyone out of fear because of what Runeard did to her people.
When I look at the scroll, I see a story about spirituality
Line 1: The Goddess of Water created the Earth under the Star Polaris
It was believed by the Sami that the Polaris star was the nail with which the sky was attached to its axis
Line 1 (cont.): Using the power of the 4 elements, She created an incarnation of herself. A water-based being like her who can influence the other elements
I believe this was the first Fifth Spirit, one of Iduna’s ancestors, or at least someone from one of the old families
Line 2: By offending the Water, a curse was placed on humanity, covering the sun. But the elements will join together with Water in Time
“Covering the sun” could mean anything from removing Divine presence from earth to separating the earth from the Heavens completely
Line 3: The fall of the balance between the Elements and Humanity wil
l call for the need of the Fifth SpiritI believe this “fall of balance” is the war when Ahtohallan removes her calming influence on the elements and retreats to her island
Not exactly sure what the last 2 lines mean, so I’m kind of spit-balling the last part, but
Line 4: Where the River meets the Sea, only a Daughter of Water can pass without drowning.
Elsa, being the manifestation of Ahtohallan, is literally a child of Water
Line 5: The Goddess will use Air, Fire, and Earth to guide 2 Daughters of Water to restore the earth.
The last line of the scroll shows 2 beings; one with the soul of Water and one made of Water.
Another important thing to note are the positive and negative spaces in the artwork. This is extremely important because Pagans believe that everything has a creative and destructive force, including humans. For example, in Tarot, if you pull a card that is upside down, it has a specifically opposite meaning that is in direct correlation to its original message. I believe that these positive and negative spaces represent exactly that, the fact that everything in the universe can be either creative or destructive. That’s the power of balance in the universe, and that’s what Elsa was created to maintain. What I’m having issues researching is what these inverted colors could translate to specifically in the message of the scroll. If you have any thoughts, leave a comment!
Ahtohallan
There’s a HUGE question in the Frozen community about why Ahtohallan is “frozen” (ha) and why Elsa’s powers are ice-based. That takes some diving into, so bear with me. There’s a post I found that says:
“Why does Elsa have ice powers, when she’s the Fifth Spirit?
Because Ahtohallan is a frozen glacier. Note that this is quite accidental: if Ahtohallan had settled in a volcano, Elsa might have had fire powers instead. Intrinsically, Ahtohallan is unlikely to have any particular preference for any one element. In any case, Elsa’s powers come directly from Ahtohallan, rather than from any of the elements.”
I don’t agree with this, because to understand the source of Elsa’s magic, you have to understand Indigenous spiritual culture.
Ahtohallan is the Goddess of Water, so She settled at the northernmost point of Arendelle’s waters
As far away from the mainland as She could without leaving her people
There is zero chance in any universe that a GODDESS OF WATER would settle in a VOLCANO… Sorry for yelling
”‘Ahtohallan”‘ can mean something like ‘frozen sea god’, or ‘the god who dwells in the frozen waters’”
According to Pagan literature, the translation of “frozen sea god” is more accurate. BUT because Ahtohallan is a river, it would be “frozen water god”.
After doing Her duty and creating the Elements, She went to rest where she could be close to her creation
In Pagan cultures, water is the source of ALL life (primordial waters, anyone?), meaning Ahtohallan is a Goddess of Life as well
“Ahtohallan is unlikely to have any particular preference for any one element” is also false because she’s literally the personification of the element Water. Not a manifestation, like Nokk, Ahtohallan IS the water of life.
Elsa’s powers are a direct manifestation of her connection with the Water Goddess
In ancient cultures, there were more than the 4 elements. Yes, Spirit is another element on the Pentacle, but there are more than those 4 in nature. And all the elements balance each other. Think Final Fantasy magic:
Earth balances Air
Fire balances Ice
Ice is frozen Water
Water balances Lightning
Lightning is Air and Fire
Life balances Death
For me, this explains further why the elements require the Fifth Spirit to re-balance themselves. BUT if you notice closely, the two spirits Elsa connects most deeply with are Bruni and Nokk, Fire and Water.
Elsa has a natural connection to Bruni, the Fire Spirit, because they are elemental opposites.
But, her connection to Nokk comes from her innate Primordial connection to Water itself.
If you noticed, Elsa may talk to Gale and the Earth Giants, but she doesn’t truly connect with them or influence their behavior the way she does with Bruni and Nokk
The Voice
Who is calling to Elsa?In the same post, the OP suggests that Ahtohallan used the voice of Elsa’s mother as “a familiar voice” to call to her. But. they point out that the song says “She will sing to those who hear”, so it wouldn’t be Iduna’s voice calling for Elsa.
I specifically do NOT think that it’s Iduna, for these reasons
The pitch of Iduna’s voice is MUCH different.
Iduna called to Gale, the Air Spirit.
In the scroll, Air is shown almost as prominently as Water.
Without Air in our lungs, or oxygen in the Water, there would be no life.
The voice of Ahtohallan sounds angelic and ethereal.
If the voice WAS her mother’s, Elsa wouldn’t be asking who it was, she would have recognized it.
Ahtohallan is singing to Elsa to see if she’s ready to take her place as the Fifth Spirit and manifestation of Ahtohallan on earth.
Why would the song say “She will sing to those who hear” if Ahtohallan doesn’t use her own voice? I truly believe that because Elsa has that connection with Ahtohallan as the literal embodiment of the Goddess on earth, she hears the actual Goddess’ voice. In the concept of the Hero’s Journey, this would be considered the Call to Action and Denial. Elsa hears an otherworldly voice calling to her exactly like the lullaby tells her.Which also tells me that the song is more of a map than anything.
Where the North wind meets the sea
Ahtohallan rests on an island at the Northernmost point beyond the Sea
There’s a river full of memory
The Water of Life contains the memories of the past
Sleep, my darling, safe and sound
She protects Her own, those who hear the call
For in this river, all is found
The source of Life itself
In her waters, deep and true
Referring to the Source of Her power
Lie the answers and a path for you
The Fifth Spirit must walk the path through the cavern to find Her Source
Dive down deep into her sound
Follow the call to the center of the cavern
But not too far or you’ll be drowned
Truth has consequences
Yes, she will sing to those who’ll hear
When you are ready, She will call to you
And in her song, all magic flows
Northuldra are Native, so most of their history is oral, and they respect the magic of nature “When nature speaks, we listen”
But can you brave what you most fear?
Elsa literally says “fear is what can’t be trusted”
Can you face what the river knows?
Can you handle the truth about the past?
Where the North wind meets the sea
Again, giving directions to where She rests
There’s a mother full of memory
Note it says MOTHER here, meaning She is the Mother of Life
Come, my darling, homeward bound
A literal call to the Fifth Spirit, saying She is waiting
When all is lost, then all is found
You can’t be ready to find Her until you feel like you have nothing
Why Did Elsa Die?!
Now for the biggest question of them all…Why did Elsa freeze when she dove into the depths of the cave?
Water is the source of all life.In Frozen, they expand on this saying that the Water Goddess is also the source of Magic. This reminds me of a chant:
Earth my Body
Water my Blood
Air my Breath
Fire my Spirit
If we continue to connect the Northuldra concept and Pagan tradition, it stands to reason that the Ahtohallan’s Waters are the Source of the earth’s Spirit.I would say that entering Her home is somewhat like finding the Heart of Te Fiti, where even with good intentions can someone take their gifts for granted and go too far. The depths of the cave on the island was literally the Heart of Ahtohallan, the Source of her Power. Elsa was still part human, and as such, I don’t think her human side could handle the purity and closeness to the Mother.Her mortal side is what froze, because Elsa was raised to “conceal” her magic and embrace her mortality. In the Hero’s Journey, this would be considered the moment of resurrection, when Elsa’s human side was literally frozen to death and her magic was forced to accept her true calling…
