Vellumentals
| Vellumentals | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Statues depicting the four Vellumentals in the Sea Tower | |||
| Appears in | Paper Mario: The Origami King (2020) | ||
| |||
TheVellumentals are a group of elemental, deity-like creatures that reside in their own Vellumental shrines and temples, acting as bosses inPaper Mario: The Origami King. Their shared name is a portmanteau on "elemental", and "vellum", a type of parchment specifically made of calfskin (alluding to the ancient nature of the Vellumentals). Certain in-game text suggests that they were not always made of origami.
When each Vellumental is defeated, it unveils aBibliofold that contains instructions on how to fold into them. This allowsOlivia to transform into one via a correspondingMagic Circle, allowingMario to access its elemental powers. Each Vellumental will also become available for a timed refight using a Bossotronic Fighter inToad Town'sBattle Lab.
During certain Wave Battles, an enemy may hold a random Vellumental Magic Circle, which if defeated will allow Olivia to transform into that Vellumental and attack all enemies with 50 damage in the next turn, or the next wave if all enemies in the current wave are defeated. However, the Magic Circle disappears from the enemy if Mario fails to solve the ring puzzle.King Olly also possesses the ability to turn into each of the Vellumentals in the first stage of his boss fight.
In their original origami forms, the Vellumentals have no eyes. When Olivia transforms into a Vellumental, it gains eyes and a two-pointed crown on its head. When King Olly becomes a Vellumental, alongside eyes, a three-pointed crown, and a large flap of hair like Olly's, the majority of their skin turns purple.
The Vellumentals appear to have a connection withShangri-Spa, as theSea Tower, the gateway to Shangri-Spa, worships their images.
Members[edit]
Each of the members represents a different element:
| Member | Image (boss) | Image (Olivia) | Image (King Olly) | Location fought |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earth Vellumental |  |  |  | Earth Vellumental Temple |
| Water Vellumental |  |  |  | Water Vellumental Shrine |
| Fire Vellumental |  |  |  | Fire Vellumental Cave |
| Ice Vellumental |  |  |  | Ice Vellumental Mountain |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | カミ[?] Kami | Word-play on「 As the second morpheme of a compound word,「カミ」is voiced as「ガミ」(gami) byrendaku, in the same manner as both「紙」and「神」. | |
| Chinese | 神祇[1][2] Shénqí(Mandarin) Sàhnkèih(Cantonese) | Deity; the character「祇」has the same phonetic component as“纸” /「紙」 (zhǐ /jí, "paper"). In the fonts used in the simplified Chinese localization, the character“祇” is left in the traditional form with the radical“⺬”, although the other character is correctly simplified.[1] | |
| Dutch | Origant[?] | Portmanteau of "origami" and "gigant" (giant) | |
| French | Espli[?] | Portmanteau of "esprit" (spirit) and "pli" (fold) | |
| German | Pergamenton[?] | From "pergament" (parchment) and either "-odon" (Greek for "tooth" and a common suffix for dinosaurs) or "karton" (cardboard) | |
| Italian | Cartomagno[?] | Portmanteau of "carta" (paper) and "magno" (greatest); also a pun on "Carlomagno" (Charlemagne) | |
| Korean | 신수[?] Sinsu | Mystic animal(s) (hanja: 神獸) | |
| Spanish | Papelemental[?] | Portmanteau of "papel" (paper) and "elemental" (elemental) |
Notes[edit]
- The Vellumentals are somewhat based on theFour Symbols, elemental deities of Chinese mythology, at least on a visual level. The Earth Vellumental resembles theBlack Tortoise, the Water Vellumental resembles theAzure Dragon, the Fire Vellumental resembles theVermilion Bird. The Ice Vellumental is supposed to be based on theWhite Tiger, but resembles a polar bear instead.
- Elemental-wise, however, only the Fire Vellumental's matches theWuxing of the Symbol it's based on; the Black Tortoise's is Water, the Azure Dragon's is Wood, and the White Tiger's is Metal. There does not exist an Ice Wuxing, and the Earth Wuxing is reserved for theYellow Dragon. In the Japanese Godai system, however, the Seiryu is water and the Genbu is earth. Byakko represents air, not ice, and the Kirin represents the void.
References[edit]
- ^abScreenshot
- ^GamePlayHK短片攻略 (July 18, 2020).BOSS戰: 地神祗 #4《Paper Mario the Origami King 紙片瑪利歐 摺紙國王》. Traditional Chinese. Retrieved September 21, 2025 from YouTube.
