My Left Hand



Several times in Frozen, we see Elsa showing moments of being left-handed, both when she releases her magic and whenever she does basic gestures, like bringing her hand up when she laughs (as a child) and when she tosses her tiara away. Although the villagers may not notice this about her at first, when they initially believe her to be a monster, they might believe this even more if they saw how much she uses her left hand.

Why might they think this? Because in the past, including the Middle Ages and times when people were very religious, many regarded left-handedness as a mark of evil, or a sign of criminal behavior. This was largely because it was a very uncommon ability, and its uncommonness made people believe that those who had this ability were weird or evil. It was seldom, if ever, accepted to be a natural ability. Forms of left-handedness among evil in old cultures include the following:

The term “sinister”, a synonym for “evil,” comes from the Latin term sinestra , which means “left hand” or “left side.” And in English, “left” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lyft,” which means “weak” or “useless.”



, which means “left hand” or “left side.” And in English, “left” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “lyft,” which means “weak” or “useless.” Many artistic representations of the devil depict him as left handed, contrary to Christian church’s blessings, which are performed with the right hand.

In historical texts regarding witchcraft in Europe, the left hand was the one used to cast spells and inflict harm on others. Witches could supposedly simply touch someone with their left hand to curse them.

So the people of Arendelle initially believed that Elsa was a sorceress (and the Duke first called Elsa’s magic “sorcery”) or an evil demon because her abilities were out of the ordinary and obviously meant she was not normal. But if they saw doing any of her magic with her left hand, they would very likely further believe the worst about her because of how left-handedness was believed to be associated with evil.



While beliefs about left-handedness has changed since then, it is still relatively uncommon, but not viewed as something awful. According to some studies, there is negativity associated with people who use their left hands. When it comes to processing moods, some lefties show an imbalance in processing emotions with the left and right hemispheres in their brains. This can lead to them being more prone to anger and fear. Lefties are also more partial to the right hemisphere in their brains, putting them at higher risk for mood disorders, including depression. They also can be more worrisome about being embarrassed, because they are more sensitive to criticism and fear making mistakes.



A lot of the results from these studies pertain to Elsa for sure, because she develops an intense amount of fear after she harmed Anna, then secludes herself from everyone around her. This not only makes Elsa depressed and lonely, which grew as she grew up, but her desire to protect Anna (and then their parents, by not letting them touch her) only causes her to become terrified. As an adult, Elsa worries about her powers being revealed because she knows that people would not likely respond well to it. This definitely makes her worried about making mistakes and being humiliated. Of course, her fear is what makes Elsa’s powers dangerous and difficult to control, but Elsa has difficulty not showing fear in situations that are naturally frightening. Elsa does not show anger so much, but when the Duke’s thugs try to harm her, she is initially afraid, then becomes angry the more they threaten her. Elsa is very sensitive to criticism, as shown when Anna hurts her feelings by saying that she (Elsa) knows nothing about love. And while being separated from and not touching Anna made her sad, Elsa was especially devastated and cries when her parents die, then when Anna temporarily dies.

So what has been revealed in studies seems to fit Elsa as well in terms of her being left-handed. This is shown several times when she releases her magic, including when she accidentally strikes Anna when they are children, and when she recreates Olaf during “Let It Go.” Elsa may actually be left-handed, but she does have moments of using her right hand, such as when she tries to push the one thug off of her balcony and when she saves Olaf from melting and creates his little flurry.

Regardless of what she does, Elsa could even be ambidextrous, but as an inside joke to being seen as evil or strange, I’m more inclined to believe Elsa is more of a lefty. In fact, her powers actually make her special and unique, and being a lefty just adds to her specialness. :)

