In Greek mythology, Hades and Persephone were the chthonic rulers, or the king and queen of the underworld. In Greek, “khthōn” means “earth,” but with the addition of the “-ic” suffix in the late 19th century, “chthonic” describes elements belonging to the underworld. In the Greek tradition, the 12 Olympian gods (Aphrodite, Apollo, Ares, Artemis, Athena, Demeter, Dionysus, Hephaestus, Hera, Hermes, Poseidon, and Zeus) resided above the Earth in Olympus, while the chthonic gods (Hades, Persephones, Cerberus, Charon, Chronus, Erinyes, Hecate, Hermes, Hypnus, Moirae, Nyx, and Thanatus) were below in the underworld.