chthonic
of the underworld
Today this word meansBelonging to the world below. In religious studies, the earth gods as opposed to the sky gods.
From Greek khthon, earth. The word divides the Olympians of the sky from the gods beneath the ground.
Hades, Persephone, and Hecate are the classic chthonic gods.
Offerings to them were not burned so the smoke would rise — they were poured into pits dug in the earth, because the recipients were below.