Ark Sool

An ark is usually used to mean a place of refuge, such as Noah’s ark, but is sometimes also used to refer to an outdoor portable pig shelter.

SOOL is an acronym for So Out of Luck (or, alternatively, Shoot, Out Of Luck).

Artemis Fowl

Artemis was the goddess of the hunt, as noted in the eternity code. She was also goddess of wild animals, the moon, virgins, and safety in childbirth. She was the twin sister of the god Apollo. Due to a curse placed on their mother by the goddess Hera, Artemis and Apollo’s mother needed to give birth in a place untouched by sunlight. In some versions of the myth, Artemis was born first and helped her mother with Apollo’s birth. At three years old, Artemis asked Zeus to grant her a favor: That she never be married. He granted it, and all of Artemis’s companions were also virgins (she killed those who lost their virginity). One of the main worshipers of Artemis was Sparta, a place known for its warlike tendencies, and which is usually mentioned along with its contemporary Athens, a city named for Athena (the Greek version of the goddess Minerva). The city of Ephesus is also well known for worship of Artemis. Ephesus is home to the Temple of Artemis, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, as featured in Opal Deception. Some depictions of Artemis are rather contradictory: while she represents safety in childbirth, she also represents death in childbirth, as her arrows are said to be what brings it.

In modern times, the name Artemis is borrowed for a variety of objects. Among them are a “DNA sequence viewer and annotation tool” and a software to assist in planning projects.

ARTEMIS can also be an acronym for:

• Advanced Radio-Frequency Test and Evaluation Measurements and Interpretation System
• Advanced Relay Technology Mission
• Advanced Research on Test and Evaluation of Mixed-Signal ICs and Systems
• Advanced Research Testbed for Medical Informatics

Furthermore, rearranging the letters of the word Artemis, gives you “smartie,” something we can all agree that Artemis is.

Artemis’s last name is also a play on the word foul (as shown by the code running along the bottom of the first book, which says “Fowl by name and foul by nature”). Foul is an adjective with many meanings, all of them unpleasant. It is used to describe something disgusting. It may also refer to a storm, as in the phrase “foul weather”. It can refer to something dirty or to something wicked. It also may mean unfair, which is the meaning most typically used in sports.

Briar Cudgeon

The term ‘briar’ is generally used to mean a thorn, and can mean any sort of sharp naturally occurring spike.

The word Cudgeon is similar to three words: gudgeon, dudgeon, and cudgel. A gudgeon is a fish that is part of the minnow family, but the word has also come to be a term for someone who is easily cheated. The word dudgeon is rarely used, but means resentment or anger. A cudgel is a short and fat stick used as a weapon.

Domovoi Butler

As mentioned in The Eternity Code, a domovoi is a Slavic guardian spirit. Every house is said to have a domovoi, which serves as protector, and occasionally helps with chores and other tasks. Some believe in leaving out treats for their domovoi, such as milk or cookies. The domovoi maintains peace and order in a household, and does not do evil unless angered by neglect or profanity. If a domovoi did become unhappy, it could be extremely malicious. A domovoi never treats neighboring households well, unless it had befriended their domovoi.

A butler is the chief male servant, often in charge of food, silverware, or alcoholic beverages.

Foaly

While foaly itself is not a word, it is possibly a play on the words foal and foley.

A foal is an immature horse or mule related animal, generally under the age of one year old. A foley is something having to do with motion picture soundtracks or sound effects. It originates from Jack Foley, who was a sound-effect pioneer at Universal Pictures in the 1930s. Foaly could also come from the word folly, which can a foolish action, practice, idea, etc.

The acronym FOAL can stand for Fiber-Optic Antenna Link. It may also stand for the song “Freak on a Leash”, by Korn.

Holly Short

Holly is a genus of hundreds of species of flowering plants. While holly berries are eaten by many species of birds and other animals, they are mildly toxic and can cause vomiting or diarrhea in humans. During storms, birds often take shelter in hollies, whose spiny leaves provide shelter, and protection from predators.

Holly wood has various uses, and is often used for white chess pieces, and in weapons. In pagan symbolism, holly often represented rebirth (which is why holly wreaths are used on Christmas).

Short is a common last name. It is, of course, used to describe someone or something that is not tall, fitting for a member of the fairy people.

The acronym SHORT can stand for Self-Healing And Optimizing Routing Techniques.

Jon Spiro

In the 1970’s, Spiro was the name of a box used to illegally make long distance calls without paying any money. This was achieved by feeding a special tone through the mouthpiece of a regular telephone, which disconnected the operator, and made a long distance line available. The number would then be dialed in, using a keyboard with the same touch tone frequencies as telephone operator’s phones. Eventually, however, the Spiro became useless due to the FBI’s investigations and prosecutions, and to increased security by the Bell Telephone Company.

Juliet Butler

The most famous Juliet is Juliet Capulet, of William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. She is intelligent and brave, as well as manipulative, and displays many traits often labeled as masculine. Although betrothed, Juliet falls in love with Romeo, although their families are enemies. At her suggestion, they secretly marry within a day of their first meeting. At the end of the play, a despaired Juliet commits suicide after Romeo has died.

As noted above, a butler tends to be the male servant in the household, but Juliet isn’t known for following the norm anyways.

Julius Root

Julius is a very common Roman name. It belonged to all sorts of people, ranging from a grammarian to a governor. Three popes were named Julius.

The most famous Julius was Gaius Julius Caesar, a military and political leader. Caesar was considered a brilliant politician, a strong leader, and one of the greatest military leaders of his time. He was assassinated in 44 BCE. There are also two Christian saints named Julius; both were martyrs.

The word root, as well as being the bottommost part of many plants, means the source, origin, or motive of a person or object.

The acronym ROOT stands for Running Out Of Time.

Minerva Paradizo

Minerva is a Roman goddess (an adaptation of the Greek goddess Athena). Like Artemis, she was a virgin. Minerva is best known as the goddess of wisdom and intelligence. Because of this, minerva is also a noun for a woman who is wise. The queen of spades in a pack of playing cards is said to portray Minerva.

MINERVA may stand for:

• Mapping the Internet Electronic Resources Virtual Archive
• Micro/Nano Experimental Robot Vehicle for Asteroid

Mulch Diggums

Mulch is any sort of covering spread around plants to protect them, enrich the soil, make them grow better, etc.

Diggums- sounds like Dig ’em.

Opal Koboi

An opal is a type of gemstone. Opals are iridescent, and come in several colors, but the most valuable opals are black opals. Opal is the birthstone for the month of October. A variety of modern places and objects have been named opal. There is a town called Opal in Wyoming, USA, and Opal City is the comic-book home of supeheroes such as Starman and Elongated Man. There is an Icelandic candy called opal. Hurricane Opal was the most powerful category 4 hurricane recorded in the Atlantic, making landfall twice and causing heavy damage.

Koboi is a place in Uganda. It was also the first name of a former minister in the Liberian government. There is a koboi.com, but it only contains advertisements.

Thank to MMK for writing.