Have you seen Myles McDonnell's new book -- called "Roman Manliness," I think, and about virtus in the Republican period -- because of course it changes drastically during the first centuries CE, too, as it picks up the idea of moral excellence from the Greek arete.

...see, now my mind is running off on a whole tangent on sacrifice and Roman sacrifice versus medieval sacrifice because of the introduction of Christianity and...

This would be really cool -- you could look at exempla of Romans who give up their lives (or kill someone dear to them, or go into exile) to save the state -- because that's how the narrative goes in Rome, it's about the state, it's not about God or the gods, and it's totally different from Christian ideas of martyrdom or sacrifice, which are so much more about the self (not in a self-centered way, but in allowing external forces to affect your body rather than your identity) -- and then how these two traditions play out within the chivalric tradition, which I would guess is influenced by both? I don't really know enough about it.

Sorry, were we talking about Supernatural? I got distracted.