Mankind’s chief hope of escaping the wrath...........

[sb70012]

Horrors lurked in the primeval forest, not nymphs and naiads. Terror lived there, with its close attendant, Magic, and its most common defense, Human Sacrifice. Mankind’s chief hope of escaping the wrath of whatever divinities were then abroad lay in some magical rite, senseless but powerful, or in some offering made at the cost of pain and grief.

Source: Edith Hamilton - Mythology

Hi,
I can not understand the blue part. I wish I were a native English speaker so that I could understand it.

This is my paraphrase of the blue line:
Mankind's main hope of escaping from the anger of the gods were held in religious ceremonies.
It was absurd but strong [.......I couldn't paraphrase the rest]

Would you please revise my bad paraphrase?

Thanks so much

 

[MikeNewYork]

Horrors lurked in the primeval forest, not nymphs and naiads. Terror lived there, with its close attendant, Magic, and its most common defense, Human Sacrifice. Mankind’s chief hope of escaping the wrath of whatever divinities were then abroad lay in some magical rite, senseless but powerful, or in some offering made at the cost of pain and grief.

Source: Edith Hamilton - Mythology

Hi,
I can not understand the blue part. I wish I were a native English speaker so that I could understand it.

This is my paraphrase of the blue line:
Mankind's main hope of escaping from the anger of the gods were held in religious ceremonies.
It was absurd but strong [.......I couldn't paraphrase the rest]

Would you please revise my bad paraphrase?

Thanks so much

You did well with what you have written. The rest of the text is referring to sacrificing something (animals, crops, or even other humans) and offering the sacrifice to the gods to appease them.