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I found myself to be the fifth, although I was more part of one

It was the result of to finish a quest my ancestors had begun

It all started with a break of peace and a Greek gift

Tis’ started a curse that we two would eventually lift

I was born, source unknown, with powers raised

For parental actions that were spirit praised

We were told the tale, though not in full

It took a scarf to know the story’s whole

I fought three valiantly, and hid from the fourth

On our quest for to find truth and magic’s source

In the course, hearts broken and friends of many made

As a result of our choices, we were both nearly slayed

All was well, cracked walls and water stopped, in the end

Tranquility was made with forgiveness, and hearts did mend

A bridge of trust and love was made with us being the connection

And I gave it all to to embrace who I am and live in the spirits’ creation

Can you guess who I am from these many clues?

Explain each line and I shall reward you!

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2 Answers 2

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Since I've been in lockdown with a 4-year old girl and watched this film SO MANY times in the last 2 months I am positive you are:

Elsa from Frozen 2 (specifically the sequel released in 2019).

WARNING: Huge movie plot spoilers coming!

I found myself to be the fifth, although I was more part of one
It was the result of to finish a quest my ancestors had begun
It all started with a break of peace and a Greek gift
Tis’ started a curse that we two would eventually lift

In Frozen 2, Queen Elsa (who has magical powers that allow her to control ice) embarks on a quest (line 2) to find the source of a mysterious voice that calls to her from across the world. In so doing, she uncovers the truth behind the events two generations earlier in the history of her kingdom (queendom?), Arundel...

The history of Arundel has always presented her grandfather's (a previous king) building of a new dam on the river as having been a noble gift to a native tribe, and that the ensuing war that broke out between Arundel and the tribe was the result of an ambush instigated by the natives. However, this is far from the truth. She discovers in a vision of the past that the dam was a Greek gift (line 3), like the 'Trojan horse' of history - the dam actually helped the corrupt king to control the water supply and hold sway over the natives. Moreover it was he who broke the peace by striking the first blow in the war that followed.

Ultimately Elsa's quest brings her into contact with the spirits of the four elements - fire, air, water and earth - and she discovers that through her ice powers she is the fifth (line 1). Her powers enable her and her sister Anna (we two - line 4) to right the wrong of history and lift a curse that the 4 elements have placed on an enchanted forest where the natives still live, shrouded in an impenetrable mist and trapped with the surviving soldiers of Arundel's army from that fateful day two generations before...

I was born, source unknown, with powers raised
For parental actions that were spirit praised
We were told the tale, though not in full
It took a scarf to know the story’s whole

Elsa was born with magical ice powers, although nobody knew why. It turns out that it is because Elsa's mother as a native girl in the battle saved the life of the boy from Arundel who would grow to be Elsa's father, and the powers are a gift from the spirits for this act of mercy. Elsa and Anna know from their father's bedtime stories that his life was saved, but he has never known the identity of his saviour. Elsa and Anna only learn it was their mother when they notice that the girl in the flashback of the event is wearing the same patterned shawl their mother has passed down to them.

I fought three valiantly, and hid from the fourth
On our quest for to find truth and magic’s source
In the course, hearts broken and friends of many made
As a result of our choices, we were both nearly slayed

During their quest to find the voice - in the hope that it might explain the mystery behind Elsa's powers - Elsa battles and tames the spirits of fire, air and water, and avoids the mighty earth spirit giants. The journey is filled with new revelations, upsetting discoveries, broken hearts (notably Kristoff and Anna both mistakenly believe the other has fallen out of love with them) but ultimately they make many friends among the natives and the old Arundellian army soldiers trapped in the enchanted forest. There are several occasions where the danger is so great, Elsa and Anna are nearly slain..

All was well, cracked walls and water stopped, in the end
Tranquility was made with forgiveness, and hearts did mend
A bridge of trust and love was made with us being the connection
And I gave it all to to embrace who I am and live in the spirits’ creation

In the end their quest is successful. The dam's walls are broken to right the historical wrong, and the resulting wave of water that rushes down the fjord to Arundel is stopped by Elsa, saving the town. The natives and the Arundellians forgive each other and make peace, now that the truth is known. Anna and Kristoff realise their misunderstandings and get engaged to marry. Elsa leaves her position as queen of Arundel to lead the tribe and Anna is instilled as the new queen. A new chapter in the lives of the two groups of people is begun, founded on trust, love and mutual respect, with Elsa and Anna being the metaphorical 'bridge' that joins them together. Elsa now has a much greater understanding of who she is, and is far happier living among the natives with the other four spirits calmed and living among them too...

The End!

EDIT: To comment further on the significance of the first line of the riddle - I found myself to be the fifth, although I was more part of one:

During the musical number Show Yourself Elsa discovers that the elusive 'fifth spirit' she has been hunting for is actually herself, with the power of ice. However, this has been a bugbear of mine since I first saw the film... After all - what is 'ice' except frozen water... and there is already a 'water spirit' reflecting one quarter of the elements fire, air, water and earth! So really, as this riddle says, Elsa with her ice powers is 'the fifth' but really is already part of one (of the other existing spirits)! Someone tell the scriptwriter!

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    $\begingroup$ Solved at last! Nice going @Stiv! I figured that some crazy parent would solve it eventually. :-) $\endgroup$
    – Rewan Demontay
    Commented May 23, 2020 at 9:13
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks @RewanDemontay - I had looked at this puzzle several times before and not spotted it (I'd been trying to interpret everything too cryptically, e.g. by translating line 3 as WAR + HORSE and getting bogged down in Spielberg movies...!). But the sheer number of times I have now seen that film during lockdown means that today it came to mind instantly, even at 6:30 this morning! :) $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented May 23, 2020 at 9:17
  • $\begingroup$ One nitpick though-The line "although I was more part of one" is unexplained in your answer (the only one really). $\endgroup$
    – Rewan Demontay
    Commented May 23, 2020 at 13:48
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    $\begingroup$ @RewanDemontay Okay, I've made that more explicit now (as a PS at the end...). $\endgroup$
    – Stiv
    Commented May 23, 2020 at 15:05
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Disclaimer: Not an answer, just what I managed to come up with.

Try as I might, I can't solve this one, so here are my notes if it helps somebody else solve it. I'll update this if I figure more things out, but right now I'm stumped. I feel like I either don't have enough information or just don't know enough to solve it. (It's a fantastic riddle though! I hope somebody can figure it out.)

My working theory at this point is that the answer is a number.

I found myself to be the fifth, although I was more part of one

The answer is obviously going to be the fifth of something, implying that it exists in a sequence of related things. I think it means the fifth number in a sequence of numbers, maybe the Fibonacci sequence (1, 1, 2, 3, 5...) or the prime number sequence (2, 3, 5, 7, 11...)

It all started with a break of peace and a Greek gift

The second part of the phrase, "a Greek gift," is probably a reference to the Greek gift of the Trojan Horse, and the famous saying that comes from it, "beware a Greek gift." It typically means a curse disguised as a blessing. But I'm not sure how this relates to anything, or what the "curse" could be.

I was born, source unknown, with powers raised

"Powers raised" immediately brings exponents to mind, since numbers with exponents are typically described as being "raised to a power." Coupled with the first line and the other mathematical hints throughout the riddle, I think this means that the answer is a number, and that exponents/powers are involved or important in some way.

It took a scarf to know the story’s whole

No idea what scarf this could refer to. I've been trying to find references to scarves in mythology, etc. but nothing seems to meld right. But if my number theory holds water, then maybe "whole" could be a reference to whole numbers (integers)?

I fought three valiantly, and hid from the fourth

Obviously another numerical clue, and because the wording of three is vague, I feel like it could refer to either:

  • the third and fourth items in the sequence of objects that the answer is the fifth of, or

  • the first three objects together and then the fourth object.

Don't know what it means beyond that. Perhaps we could get some hints?

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    $\begingroup$ Welp, there goes my entire answer. At least I tried? $\endgroup$
    – Sciborg
    Commented Apr 17, 2020 at 4:00

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