I’ve always been a fan of Greek mythology and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there is a lot of amazing origami that’s right out of Greek myths and stories.
The basilisk is called the King of Serpents and is said to be able to kill you just with one look. Other stories say that it’s so poisonous that it leaves a trail of venom in its wake.
Fortunately look at or folding this excellent origami Basilisk won’t horribly poison or kill you.
Basilisk, Designed by Katsuta Kyohei and Folded by Eyal
Crease pattern available in JOAS special issue 2011
The griffin is one of the most famous creatures to come out of Greek mythology with the body, tail and back legs of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Some people believed the griffin was the king of all creatures and some people believed they guarded priceless treasures.
Griffin 2.0, Designed and Folded by 晓 陈
Instructions not available
The minotaur is another famous creature from Greek myth with the body of a man and the head of a bull. The minotaur lived in the center of a labryinth that was designed by Daedalus and Icarus for King Minos of Crete. The minotaur was eventually defeated and killed by the hero Theseus.
Minotaur, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Paul
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009
Pegasus, the winged horse is probably the most famous creature in Greek mythology.
Pegasus, Designed by Hojyo Takashi and Folded by Agnieska (Agne) Mackonyte
Diagrams available in ORU Magazine 4
Icarus was the son of Daedalus and is famous for flying too close to the sun using wings his father created out of feathers and wax. Because of his hubris he flew too high and the sun melted his wings causing him to crash into the sea.
Icarus, Designed by Hojyo Takashi and Folded by Ricardo Abdon
Crease pattern available in World of Super Complex Origami
The Winged Victory of Samothrace is a marble statue of the goddess Nike who is the the Greek goddess of victory. If you can’t make a trip to see it in person at the Louvre in Paris you can try to fold this origami version.
The Victory of Samothrace, Designed by Hojyo Takashi and Folded by Dzmitry Lysiuk
Instructions not available
The Hippocampus is a mythological creature with the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish.
Hippocampus, Designed by Román Díaz and Folded by Agnieska (Agne) Mackonyte
Diagrams available in Origami for Interpreters
Harpies are female monsters with the body of a bird and the face of a woman. Their name means “snatchers” and they often steal food from their victims.
Harpie gen.2, Designed and Folded by Hubert Villeneuve
Instructions not available
Centaurs are another famous mythological creature with the upper body of a human and lower body of a horse. This centaur is folded from a single sheet of paper except for the bow and arrow.
Centaur, Designed and Folded by Leo Lai
Instructions not available
Cerberus is the famous three headed dog that guards the gates of the underworld preventing the dead for escaping.
Cerberus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Nguyen Nam Son
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009
Daedalus was the father of Icarus and was also a skilled craftsman and artist who built the labyrinth where the minotaur lived.
Daedalus, Designed by Gabriel Alvarez and Folded by Luc MARNAT
Diagrams available in Origami Monsters and Mythical Beings
Here’s another excellent photo of Hojyo Takashi’s origami Icarus.
Icarus, Designed by Hojyo Takashi and Folded by Antoine S. (origoku)
Crease pattern available in World of Super Complex Origami
Sirens were beautiful sea creatures that lured sailors with beautiful music causing them to crash their ships into the rocks.
Siren + Rose, Designed by Davor Vinko and Folded by Victor J. Quintero
Instructions not available
Here’s a cute baby griffin design by Riccardo Foschi.
Baby Gryphon, Designed and Folded by Riccardo Foschi
Crease pattern available from Riccardo Foschi’s Flickr
Poseidon is one of the 12 main Greek gods and was the god of the sea. He is also known for causing earthquakes.
Poseidon, Designed by Hojyo Takashi, Trident Designed by Kijjakarn Praditukrit both Folded by nyanko sensei
Instructions not available
Here’s another excellent origami Cerberus, this model is folded from on sheet of paper.
Cerberus, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by Han-Sheng Yang
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009
Here’s another different and beautiful Pegasus design by Hoang Trung Thanh.
Golden Pegasus, Designed by Hoang Trung Thanh and Folded by Nguyen Nam Son
Instructions not available
Mariano also folded Román Díaz’s excellent origami Hippocampus.
Hippocampus, Designed by Román Díaz and Folded by Mariano
Diagrams available in Origami for Interpreters
Here’s another amazing Griffin design, this time by Kade Chan.
Gryphon, Designed by Kade Chan and Folded by Nguyen Nam Son
Video instructions available from Kade Chan’s YouTube
Here’s a great “good” variation on Satoshi Kamiya’s Minotaur although it has the same kind of creepy feel that a lot of João Charrua’s models have.
“Good” Minotaur, Designed by Satoshi Kamiya and Folded by João Charrua
Diagrams available in Works of Satoshi Kamiya 2, 2002 – 2009
Here’s a different and slightly cuter origami basilisk designed by Yery J. Astroña.
Basilisk, Designed and Folded by Yery J. Astroña
Instructions not available
A Sphinx is a deadly creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion and the wings of a bird. It asks riddles and if one cannot answer correctly they are killed and eaten. The Sphinx is famous from appearing in the story of Oedipus.
Sphinx, Designed and Folded by Hubert Villeneuve
Instructions not available
Our final model this post is this incredible griffin by Kade Chan.
Griffin, Designed and Folded by Kade Chan
Instructions not available
Visit Kade Chan’s website at www.kadechan.com
There’s still a ton of awesome origami from Greek mythology that I’ll be sure to post in the future. In the mean time be sure to check out all these great artists on Flickr and if you enjoyed this post please comment and share on your social media.
