The Thesmophoria, like the Anthesteria, was a three days’ festival. It was held from the 11th-13th of Pyanepsion (October-November); the first day, the 11th, was called both _Kathodos_ and _Anodos_, Downgoing and Uprising, the second _Nesteia_, Fasting, and the third _Kalligeneia_, Fair-Born or Fair-Birth[306]. The meaning of the name Thesmophoria and the significance of the three several days will appear later: at present it is sufficient to note that the Thesmophoria collectively was a late autumn festival and certainly connected with sowing. Cornutus[307] says, ‘they fast in honour of Demeter ... when they celebrate her feast at the season of sowing.’ Of a portion of the ritual of the Thesmophoria we have an unusually detailed account preserved to us by a scholiast on the _Hetairae_ of Lucian; and as this portion is, for the understanding of the whole festival, of capital importance it must at the outset be examined in detail. In the dialogue of Lucian, Myrto is reproaching Pamphilos for deserting her; ‘the girl,’ says Myrto, ‘you are going to marry is not good-looking; I saw her close at hand at the Thesmophoria with her mother.’ The notice is important as it has been asserted that the Thesmophoria was a festival of married women only, which, in Lucian’s time, was clearly not the case. The scholiast[308] on the passage comments as follows, and ancient commentators have left us few commentaries more instructive: ‘The Thesmophoria, a festival of the Greeks, including mysteries, and these are called also Skirrophoria.’ According to the more mythological explanation they are celebrated in that Kore when she was gathering flowers was carried off by Plouton. At the time a certain Eubouleus, a swineherd, was feeding his swine on the spot and they were swallowed down with her in the chasm of Kore. Hence in honour of Eubouleus the swine are thrown into the chasms of Demeter and Kore. Certain women who have purified themselves for three days[309] and who bear the name of ‘Drawers up’ bring up the rotten portions of the swine that have been cast into the _megara_. And they descend into the inner sanctuaries and having brought up (the remains) they place them on the altars, and they hold that whoever takes of the remains and mixes it with his seed will have a good crop. And they say that in and about the chasms are snakes which consume the most part of what is thrown in; hence a rattling din is made when the women draw up the remains and when they replace the remains by those well-known (ἐκεῖνα) images, in order that the snakes which they hold to be the guardians of the sanctuaries may go away.