This model is an origami Belfegor, taken from the book El Libro de las Mascaras de Papel Plegado by Gabriel Alvarez. This is the second design I have blogged about from this book, the other was the Gaucho. As with the Gaucho, there is no information given in the book on who designed this model, so I assume it is by Gabriel Alvarez, the book’s author.
According to various websites, Belphegor is a demon who spreads friction and division by helping people to make discoveries or inventions that will make them rich. Apparently he is usually depicted with an open mouth, horns and sharply pointed nails. Other than that this model is made out of red paper, I’m not actually sure it looks that demonic and certainly doesn’t match that description!
This mask is designed to be worn over the head – almost like a hat. This is different to many of the other masks in the book, which would be worn over the face, presumably with a length of string or elastic on the back of the mask. It is an easy model to fold, with no difficult steps. The folding sequence is logical, and the diagrams are clear. It takes five to fifteen minutes to fold this model. Any paper will do, although I think it does look best in red. I have seen it folded in several other colours though. I recommend folding using paper that is coloured the same on both sides, otherwise there will be a line up the front of the model where the back of the paper is clearly visible, and that will spoil the effect. You can see from my photo that I made this mistake!
Difficulty: Simple
Paper: Any paper that is coloured the same on both sides. Red works well
Time to fold: About five to fifteen minutes
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