Ah my friend, if you and I could escape this fray
and live forever, never a trace of age, immortal,
I would never fight on the front lines again
or command you to the field where men win fame.
But now, as it is, the fates of death await us,
thousands poised to strike, and not a man alive
can flee them or escape – so in we go for attack!
Give our enemy glory or win it for ourselves!
– Homer
The Iliad, Book 12, lines 374-381. Sarpedon, an ally of the Trojans from Lycia, describes the heroic code to his comrade Glaucus. He speaks about how in battle leaders face death, but that is now glory is won – you give it to your enemy or win it for yourself.