Chthonic is from the Greek, χθoνιoζ or khthonios, meaning “of the earth” and is used in reference to that which is beneath the surface of the earth, or the underworld and its state of darkness. Chthonic also refers to a state of abundance. For the ancient Greeks, chthonic was not to be confused with the visible layer of the soil, where Demeter reigned as the goddess of the harvest or with Gaia, the earth mother who bore and united with Ouranus and is a primal life force (Farnell, 1908/1971). Rather, chthonic implies lower, abundance, darkness, and death.
The chthonic deities and heroes were worshipped in their own cults and sacrificed to in specific ways that differentiated them from Olympian deities. For example, black-skinned animal offerings were preferred for sacrifice to the chthonian gods and light skinned for the Olympians. However, any sort of strict lines of demarcation to categorize the Greek’s system of religious affections meet with frustration. The line between the...
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Bibliography
Burkert, W. (1977/1985). Greek religion: Ancient and classical (J. Raffan & B. Blackwell, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Farnell, L. R. (1908/1971). The cults of the Greek states (Vol. 5). Chicago, IL: Aegaean Press.
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Fontelieu, S. (2010). Chthonic Deities. In: Leeming, D.A., Madden, K., Marlan, S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-71802-6_113
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