Courage - Face Without Flinching
Courage in the face of danger is the essential warrior virtue.
Celtic warriors were famed for their courage, sometimes fighting naked to show their fearlessness. But courage extended beyond battle - speaking truth to power, enduring hardship, facing death with equanimity. The Celts saw this life as preparation for the next.
The brave man dies once; the coward dies a thousand times.
Celtic courage was reinforced by belief in the soul's immortality.
Classical Accounts
Written about in
- What Celtic stories say about courage
The virtue as stated is wider than battle. It covers speaking to power, enduring hardship, and meeting death without making a fuss about it.