Holly Short

Captain Holly Short is the female protagonist of the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.

Character outline

Holly Short is a talkative and sarcastic elf with an auburn crew cut (although she later grows a fringe) and hazel eyes, as well as the pointy ears and nut-brown skin typical of her species. She stands at one meter in height (said to be three feet in US editions), one centimeter shorter than the fairy average (an inch shorter in US editions), and has a gymnast-like stance. Like all elves, she is child-sized by human standards, but her bodily proportions are adult. According to Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Holly is about eighty years old. (Elves and other magic species live much longer than humans. It is said that there is a dwarf over 2000 years old in the book.) Holly is the first and only female captain in the organization LEPrecon. In The Artemis Fowl Files, she notes that she eventually earns the respect of her male colleagues. Holly will defy the orders of superiors and disobey rules if she believes that she can be of more help that way, and has gotten into trouble multiple times for defying a direct command. She is described as pretty, but in a dangerous way, comparable to a black widow. Her interests include playing the fairy game "Crunchball," reading (especially thrillers), and flying with artificial wings.