Minerva Paradizo
Encyclopedia
Minerva Paradizo is a fictional character
from the Artemis Fowl
series of books by Eoin Colfer
and is one of the main antagonists in Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony.
Minerva is a twelve-year-old girl during her appearance, described with tight blonde corkscrew curls. The book also mentions glasses (although the glasses are only mentioned once, so it is possible that they are either reading glasses or sunglasses). She was born in Cagnes-sur-Mer
, South of France, and her father Gaspard Paradizo is a fifty-two-year-old cosmetic surgeon of Brazil
ian descent. She also has a five-year-old brother, Beau Paradizo, an obnoxious little boy who loves chocolate. Her mother, Penny, left her family and ran off with the gardener about a year before the events in The Lost Colony. Although Minerva is only twelve, she has already completed high school and is currently studying for two long-distance learning degrees. When she speaks in English, she sometimes inserts French words, especially at the moments of strong emotion. She also won a national spelling bee
at the age of four. She is a child prodigy
with an IQ similar to that of Artemis Fowl II
himself, though in Book 5 she is easily outwitted by Artemis due mainly to the superior technology and support he has available to him (as well as his extensive knowledge of fairies).
It's also said that she's quite witty and has a good sense of humour
. Her quark
joke made on a train is a good example of this. She is very intelligent, and possibly hinted as Artemis's equal, as Artemis is named after the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and Minerva is named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom.
going by the name of Billy Kong and her head of security, Juan Soto. Minerva wants to prove the existence of demons to scientists to win the Nobel Prize. It seems that Minerva does not know about the other species of fairy, as she refers to Holly, an elf, as a demon. She successfully defeats Artemis Fowl in the race to capture a demon, No1 (actually an imp and an apprentice warlock) and hopes to unveil him in a bid to win a Nobel Prize
. Minerva is eventually tricked by Artemis, who steals back No1. However, Billy Kong believes that demons killed his brother Eric, and threatens to kill Minerva, her father and Soto unless he is given a demon to kill. Artemis, Butler, Holly and No1 come to their rescue.
When Artemis, Holly, and demon warlocks Qwan and No1 go to Hybras, Minerva becomes good friends with Butler and starts him reading fiction. Artemis does not return for three years, giving Minerva the chance to feel attracted to the teenage genius. Butler has told Artemis on his return that Minerva has been talking about Artemis ("Artemis this and Artemis that"), and thinks very highly of him. There are hints throughout the book that Artemis has "blasted feelings of attraction" towards her, and when they are talking on the phone, Minerva admits she has never talked to a boy her own age for this long.
Minerva does not return in the sixth book, and in an August 23, 2009 Tweet, Eoin Colfer implied that she would not return for the seventh either, stating he could not use her as its villain as she was involved with "a skier in the Alpes Maritime". Colfer was true to his word, and Minerva did not appear in the seventh Artemis Fowl installment, The Atlantis Complex.
Minerva is twelve years old, the same age as Artemis when he first met the fairy people.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl (series)
Artemis Fowl is a series of fantasy novels written by Irish author Eoin Colfer and all the books are best sellers, starring the teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl II. The author summed up the series as: "Die Hard with fairies." There are seven novels in the series; the first was published in...
series of books by Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer
Eoin Colfer is an Irish author. He is most famous as the author of the Artemis Fowl series, but he has also written other successful books. His novels have been compared to the works of J. K. Rowling...
and is one of the main antagonists in Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony.
Minerva is a twelve-year-old girl during her appearance, described with tight blonde corkscrew curls. The book also mentions glasses (although the glasses are only mentioned once, so it is possible that they are either reading glasses or sunglasses). She was born in Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer
Cagnes-sur-Mer is a commune of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:It is the largest suburb of the city of Nice and lies to the west-southwest of it, about from the center.-History:...
, South of France, and her father Gaspard Paradizo is a fifty-two-year-old cosmetic surgeon of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian descent. She also has a five-year-old brother, Beau Paradizo, an obnoxious little boy who loves chocolate. Her mother, Penny, left her family and ran off with the gardener about a year before the events in The Lost Colony. Although Minerva is only twelve, she has already completed high school and is currently studying for two long-distance learning degrees. When she speaks in English, she sometimes inserts French words, especially at the moments of strong emotion. She also won a national spelling bee
Spelling bee
A spelling bee is a competition where contestants, usually children, are asked to spell English words. The concept is thought to have originated in the United States....
at the age of four. She is a child prodigy
Child prodigy
A child prodigy is someone who, at an early age, masters one or more skills far beyond his or her level of maturity. One criterion for classifying prodigies is: a prodigy is a child, typically younger than 18 years old, who is performing at the level of a highly trained adult in a very demanding...
with an IQ similar to that of Artemis Fowl II
Artemis Fowl II
Artemis Fowl II is the antihero and main character of the fictional series Artemis Fowl by the Irish author Eoin Colfer.- Origins :Colfer has said that he based Artemis on his younger brother Donal, who as a child was "a mischievous mastermind who could get out of any trouble he got into"...
himself, though in Book 5 she is easily outwitted by Artemis due mainly to the superior technology and support he has available to him (as well as his extensive knowledge of fairies).
Personality
At first Minerva seems like a ruthless, power-hungry villain, much the way Artemis was in the first book. She exhibits disregard for others well being on numerous occasions but she is a kind-hearted character deep down, as illustrated by her love to father and brother. She also agreed to stop the project and forgave Artemis for tricking her after he had saved her from her ex-employee, Billy Kong.It's also said that she's quite witty and has a good sense of humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
. Her quark
Quark
A quark is an elementary particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. Quarks combine to form composite particles called hadrons, the most stable of which are protons and neutrons, the components of atomic nuclei. Due to a phenomenon known as color confinement, quarks are never directly...
joke made on a train is a good example of this. She is very intelligent, and possibly hinted as Artemis's equal, as Artemis is named after the Greek goddess of the hunt, Artemis, and Minerva is named after Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom.
Role in series
During the fifth book, The Lost Colony, we find out that Minerva has discovered the existence of demons and pinpoints the exact time and place of the next materialisation, along with an assassinAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
going by the name of Billy Kong and her head of security, Juan Soto. Minerva wants to prove the existence of demons to scientists to win the Nobel Prize. It seems that Minerva does not know about the other species of fairy, as she refers to Holly, an elf, as a demon. She successfully defeats Artemis Fowl in the race to capture a demon, No1 (actually an imp and an apprentice warlock) and hopes to unveil him in a bid to win a Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
. Minerva is eventually tricked by Artemis, who steals back No1. However, Billy Kong believes that demons killed his brother Eric, and threatens to kill Minerva, her father and Soto unless he is given a demon to kill. Artemis, Butler, Holly and No1 come to their rescue.
When Artemis, Holly, and demon warlocks Qwan and No1 go to Hybras, Minerva becomes good friends with Butler and starts him reading fiction. Artemis does not return for three years, giving Minerva the chance to feel attracted to the teenage genius. Butler has told Artemis on his return that Minerva has been talking about Artemis ("Artemis this and Artemis that"), and thinks very highly of him. There are hints throughout the book that Artemis has "blasted feelings of attraction" towards her, and when they are talking on the phone, Minerva admits she has never talked to a boy her own age for this long.
Minerva does not return in the sixth book, and in an August 23, 2009 Tweet, Eoin Colfer implied that she would not return for the seventh either, stating he could not use her as its villain as she was involved with "a skier in the Alpes Maritime". Colfer was true to his word, and Minerva did not appear in the seventh Artemis Fowl installment, The Atlantis Complex.
Age
Since Artemis travelled forward in time almost three years at the end of The Lost Colony, this would now make Minerva fifteen, while Artemis would be close to eighteen legally, but still fifteen physically. In The Lost ColonyArtemis Fowl: The Lost Colony
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony is the fifth book in the Artemis Fowl Series by Irish writer Eoin Colfer. The book, originally expected to be published in the UK and Ireland on September 7 2006, was shipped to stores early...
Minerva is twelve years old, the same age as Artemis when he first met the fairy people.
See also
- Femme fataleFemme fataleA femme fatale is a mysterious and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations. She is an archetype of literature and art...
- Evil geniusEvil geniusThe evil demon, sometimes referred to as the evil genius, is a concept in Cartesian philosophy. In his 1641 Meditations on First Philosophy, René Descartes hypothesises the existence of an evil demon, a personification who is "as clever and deceitful as he is powerful, who has directed his entire...