Mom spent the time that she was supposed to be a kid actully raising children her younger brother and younger sister. She was tough as nails and did not suffer fools at all. And the truth was she could not afford to. She spoke the truth bluntly directly and without much varnish. I am her son.
In course of time religion came with its rites invoking the aid of good spirits which were even more powerful than the bad spirits and thus for the time being tempered the agony of fears.
