The strips of goat-skin were _februa_[122], purifying, and thereby fertility charms. As such they cast sudden illumination on the ‘magic fleece’ already discussed. The animal sacrificed, be it sheep or goat or dog, is itself a placation to ghosts or underworld powers; hence its skin becomes of magical effect: the deduction is easy, almost inevitable. The primary gist of the sacrifice is to appease and hence keep off evil spirits; it is these evil spirits that impair fertility: in a word _purification is the placation of ghosts_. The question ‘What was purity to the ancients?’ is thus seen to be answered almost before it is asked. Purity was not _spiritual_ purity in our sense—that is foreign to any primitive habit of thought, nor was it physical purity or cleanliness—it was possible to be covered from head to foot with mud and yet be ceremonially pure. But so oddly does the cycle of thought come round, that the purity of which the ancients knew _was_, though in a widely different sense, _spiritual_ purity, i.e. freedom from bad spirits and their maleficent influence. To get rid of these spirits was to undergo purification. In the month of February and Anthesterion the Roman or Greek might, _mutatis mutandis_, have chanted our Lenten hymn: ‘Christian, dost thou see them On the holy ground How the hosts of Midian Prowl and prowl around? Christian, up and smite them!’ Till the coming of the new religion of Dionysos, the Greek notion of purity seems not to have advanced beyond this negative combative attitude, this notion of spiritual forces outside and against them. * * * * * The question yet remains ‘Why did this purification need to take place in the spring?’ The answer is clear. Why did our own near ancestors have spring cleanings? ‘Winter rains and ruins are over And all the season of snows and sins, ... While in green underwood and cover _Blossom by blossom the Spring begins_.’ Winter is a reckless time with its Christmas and its Saturnalia. There is little for the primitive agriculturist to do and less to fear. The fruits of the earth have died down, the gods have done their worst. But when the dead earth begins to awake and put forth bud and blossom, then the ghosts too have their spring time, then is the moment to propitiate the dead below the earth. Ghosts were placated that fertility might be promoted, fertility of the earth and of man himself.