"Come back as a victor, or on your shield!" Permit me to point out, that things may be more subtle..
Only dominant males are successful. The rest are casualties or failures.
That seems to be a basic flaw in the modern male, they don't understand that (long term) success is all that matters in the long run.
To take it back to pre-history if you weren't a good provider the women were interested in the ones who were because that gave them and their offspring the best chance of survival.
In written history men followed those leaders who were successful because it led to wealth, comfortable lives and (whatever the local concept of) honor.
In modern times OLD guys only get the women and the best jobs because they are successful.
Throughout history the losers only get written about in the context of the winners.
I don't have a problem with some guy trying and dying while trying to succeed. A single guy holding the pass and dying so his people can escape, knowing he was going to die holding the pass, that's about as honorable as it gets.
Getting captured and executed means you FAILED.
There just isn't anything sexy in that kind of failure.
I get it that guys have crux fantasies (Hell so do I) and that they want people to find them hanging on a cross as erotic. I get it.
But the whole thing is a really bad derivation of the whole 'Christ Model'.
And as a submissive I'm not into being executed because it is somehow "heroic". I'm into execution fantasies specifically BECAUSE it is humiliating.
kisses
willowfall