I was looking for something interesting to watch for my two-year-old daughter, DD2, when I stumbled upon this girl, Nienke, singing ‘Het Huis Anubis’ (HHA, The House of Anubis). The audience was composed of kids who were 6 to 12 years old. I was surprised to see everybody in the crowd singing along with the singer. They all seemed to know the lyrics. What gave me the goosebumps was the name ‘Anubis’ being sung with such heartfelt enthusiasm by children.
Have you heard of Anubis? He is the black jackal-headed Egyptian god who is associated with the mummification and protection of the dead. His symbol is a blood splattered black and white ox-hide hanging from a pole.
Do you see why it disturbs me to see a bunch of kids dance to a song so whole-heartedly? Do any of those kids even know what Anubis refers to???
He is the God of the Afterlife.
And what is Het Huis Anubis? It is not just a song. It is a theme song for the famous Belgian/Dutch children’s television drama, Het Huis Anubis. It has been so popular with teens that it is spreading like wildfire all over the planet. First, it was dubbed in Swedish, Danish, and Spanish. Afterwards, a German remake came out in September 2009. Finally, an English remake will start airing on Nickelodeon this fall in the U.S. (and later on in the U.K. and in Australia).
HHA tells the story of a bunch of teens living in a boarding school called the House of Anubis, which guards a secret.
Maybe it truly is a wonderful teen soap. Maybe there are good messages in it for our children. Maybe I should watch it before I start criticizing it…
However, I am so baffled by the choice of the title for this series that I am tempted to write about it before I even consider watching it. Why not some other name? J. K. Rowling has been exceptionally creative with coming up fictitious names for countless characters in her famous series, Harry Potter. Why couldn’t the creator/writer/producer come up with something else? Could it be they had no idea what Anubis means? In all my curiosity, I looked up the creator/producer/writer… I could not find a name. All that pops up on the internet is Studio 100 or Nickelodeon – so who is the genius behind the name? [Dear reader: if you can answer any of my questions, please by all means, enlighten me!]
It is no coincidence that I mentioned Harry Potter. I have come across some religious parents who forbid their children to read Harry Potter because they believe it promotes witchcraft and wizardry, which is a big ‘no-no’ in most religions. I wonder how these parents react to their children watching HHA on Nickelodeon… Is that okay?
The name is not the only thing that bothers me. It is also the logo of the series that caught my eye.
If you are into symbology, you already know what I am talking about. If not, here is the quickie on what the ‘eye’ that stands in place of the ‘A’ in ‘Anubis’ means: the “all-seeing-eye” whose origins can be traced back to ancient Egyptian mythology and also represents the eye of ‘God the Father’, the all-knowing and ever-present God in Christianity. By incorporating the ‘eye’ into the word ‘Anubis’, the logo insinuates the idea that the God of the Dead is God the Father (or vice versa). Can somebody honestly tell me this was a coincidence and they did not know what they were doing???
I don’t care what kind of story is being told in the series. Just by looking at the title and the logo, I want to ask this question: What is the underlying/subconscious message being sent to children/teenagers all over the planet?
In fact, it is not the first time that the name Anubis has been used on television. He is a character in Stargate SG-1, depicted as a most powerful and dangerous being. Here is a quote from another character, Selmak, describing Anubis, “You do not understand how bad Anubis is. He was banished by the System Lords because his crimes were unspeakable. Even to the Goa’uld.” However, I don’t have issues with this usage, because: 1) Stargate is not meant as a children’s show; 2) Anubis is one of many fictional ‘gods’ that are being utilized in the series; and 3) He is not exactly a sympathetic character.
As I have said before, maybe I am overreacting, maybe there is a perfectly good reason for this choice of title, maybe it’s actually a very good story, maybe it’s making our children aware of what is good and bad, maybe this is a wonderful way to familiarize our children with ancient symbology…
Nonetheless, how am I going to explain all this to my own 10-year-old kid if she ever wants to watch this soap? And even if she is not interested in watching, she will still be subject to all the ads promoting the series on television, thus, the subliminal message in the title.
How many of you parents out there are okay with the fact that your kid may enjoy watching a soap that tells the story of a bunch of kids living in the House of the God of the Dead?
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Helpful links:
- Nienke, Het Huis Anubis
- Anubis (wikipedia)
- Anubis (www.egyptian myths.net)
- Het Huis Anubis (wikipedia)
- Het Huis Anubis (nickelodeon)
- Studio 100: US breakthrough with Anubis House
- House of Anubis moves from Belgium to Liverpool and the US with a first for Lime Pictures
- J. K. Rowling, author of Harry Potter
- Eye Christian Symbol
- Eye of Providence
- Stargate Anubis