You need an item to get through. Even if you win the fights, you won't be able to get through without said item. (With the item, the fights won't happen, allowing you to easily reach the shrine.)

Thank you sir.

You're welcome, except that I am not a sir. (Did you forget to read my forum title?)

Sorry :)

talk to suzanna in the Empath Abbey.She'll point you in the direction of finding that item you need to enter the Shrine of Humility.

Make sure you talk to everyone you meet.
Ask name, job, health, If they mention anything specific, ask about that.

For example: If you ask someone his/her job, they might say "Tinker." If you type Tinker, they might say "the city of Tinkers is such and such." Then type that name and they might say, "do you have the rune" If you say no, they might say, "ask So and so in such and such a city."

Here's a list of other things to ask about:
Warning: some of it is spoilers:

Shrine
Mantra
Rune
Codex
Abyss
If you want more help scroll down: These are spoilers though:



















Also ask about bell, book, candle, wheel, and.skull

Note that this doesn't work as well in the Sega Master System version, where you literally can't ask someone about something unless somebody has suggested that you do so, or if the person you're talking to has mentioned it.

So, no asking everybody about the rune in that particular version.

(Also worth noting that this discussion doesn't apply to the NES version at all; conversation is handled like in JRPGs or Ultima 3, where everybody has a fixed line to say and you don't get to choose what to ask.)