H.R Giger's Egyptian Mysteries

 H.R Giger's Black Room, Egyptian Burial chamber,
on the third floor of his parents' house at Storchengrasse 17, Chur, 1958
(source,  WWW.HRGIGER.COM (book) p9)

H. R. Giger in his artwork has often used ancient Egyptian themes and ideas, and some of these he brought into the concept work for Alien, many of which can be found as illustrations in the Egyptian Book of the Dead. His keen interest in such Egyptian imagery can be seen on the decorations of the wall of his black room (above) where he used to hold parties and play with his band as a teenager. In the centre of the photo is an image of the God Ra holding a was-sceptre

i)The Sokar Funerary Barge

In the final design for the Space Jockey, Giger was able to incorporate elements of the Seker./Sokar funerary barge.
  

ii) The Goddess Nut
In his work for the Alien Life Cycle Hieroglyphic tableau, he incorporated the image of the Goddess Nut.  

iii) The opening of the mouth ritual

 In his early design for the Facehugger, he incorporated the idea a pair of pliers in the creatures mouth to open it's victim's mouth up inspired by the idea of tools used for opening the jaws of the mummy up to allow the soul into the body for the reanimation rite

 


iv) The Embalming Ritual

Giger's painting Necronom IV which became starting point for the final adult alien creature, but where did the idea for the thing spring from. While it's composed of ideas that he developed over time, one can see that it incorporates elements from depictions of the ancient Egyptian embalming ritual images.





v) The Necronom's Leonine shoulder

The strange rounded shoulder of the Necronom IV displays a likeness to those in the Ancient Egyptian's depictions of lions







vi) Vestigial remains of the Eye of Horus

Giger's Necronom IV backpipes when the painting is flipped over become the upper eyeline and eyebrow of the eye of Horus

vi) Was-Sceptre, the head of the alien?
The general form of the head of the Necronom IV looks inspired by the general form of the stylised head of a was-sceptre