Ancient Greek religion
Chthonic (, ; from , "in, under, or beneath the earth", from "earth") literally means "subterranean", but the word in English describes deities or spirits of the underworld, especially in the Ancient Greek religion. The Greek word is one of several for "earth"; it typically refers to that which is under the earth, rather than the living surface of the land (as Gaia or 'Ge' does), or the land as territory (as does).