chthonic
From below earth
Chthonic describes things dwelling in or beneath the earth, especially gods and spirits of the underworld.
Greek mythology distinguished chthonic deities—associated with death, fertility, and the soil—from the Olympian gods above.
The word retains its mythological flavor: chthonic forces, chthonic rituals.
It suggests something ancient, dark, and primal rising from below.
Greek afterlife realm
- TartarusDeepest realm of punishment
- PersephoneGreek underworld queen
- PlutoKuiper Belt dwarf world
- StyxMythological boundary water
Acheron · Erebus · Charon · Cerberus · Orpheus · netherworld · infernal · shade
Greek agricultural deity
- PersephoneGreek underworld queen
- HadesGreek afterlife realm
- HecateGreek goddess of sorcery
- DionysusGreek deity of wine
Below ground or countercultural
- cavernousVast and hollow
- buriedPlaced beneath earth
- earthenMade of clay
- subterraneanBeneath earth's surface
telluric · cavern · grotto · tomb · crypt · catacomb · barrow · tumulus
Very old indeed
- primalFirst in origin
- primevalFrom earliest times
- elementalBasic, of natural forces
- aboriginalIndigenous to a place
archaic · prehistoric · timeless · telluric · indigenous · earthborn · primordial · antediluvian
Concealed from view
- esotericAccessible to few
- arcaneUnderstood by few
- ritualCeremonial set of actions
- necromancyCommunicating with the deceased
shamanic · oracular · theurgy · invocation · propitiation · offering · nocturnal · serpentine
Hades
Greek afterlife realm
- TartarusDeepest realm of punishment
- PersephoneGreek underworld queen
- PlutoKuiper Belt dwarf world
Styx · Acheron · Erebus · Charon · Cerberus · Orpheus · netherworld · infernal · shade · Elysium
Demeter
Greek agricultural deity
- PersephoneGreek underworld queen
- HadesGreek afterlife realm
- HecateGreek goddess of sorcery
underground
Below ground or countercultural
subterranean · telluric · cavern · grotto · tomb · crypt · catacomb · barrow · tumulus · dolmen
ancient
Very old indeed
aboriginal · archaic · prehistoric · timeless · telluric · indigenous · earthborn · primordial · antediluvian · atavistic
occult
Concealed from view
necromancy · shamanic · oracular · theurgy · invocation · propitiation · offering · nocturnal · serpentine · darkness