Chthonian
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ˈkθəʊnɪən/ · Part of speech adjective
Quick meaning: Chthonian is an adjective meaning Pertaining to the underworld; being beneath the earth.
Meaning
Pertaining to the underworld; being beneath the earth.
More Meanings
- A dweller in the mythical underworld.
Example Sentences
The Olympian religion is truly Olympian when it rests on Chthonian grounds, and the Chthonian religion is truly Chthonian when it stands in the Olympian light.
Even an “Olympian” deity such as Athena Polias at Athens may have chthonian features, such as her association with the snake, a creature symbolic of the earth.
...I intend to apply the name chthonian to all gods and spirits of the earth, whether their functions are concerned with agriculture or with the grave and the world beyond, or (as often) with both.
For example, the Oresteia, 'that treasure house of chthonian concepts' (Scullion 1994: 111), categorizes gods in ways that do not match the rigid terms of the foundational scholarship on Olympian versus chthonian deities.
Word Forms
- chthonians
Synonyms for chthonian
Depending on context, synonyms include infernal, lower, chthonic.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include infernal, lower, chthonic, cthonic, catachthonian, subhorizontal.
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Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.