They tried to turn back, but it was too late. Then the old Cree woman rose in her place and mocked them. She told them that this was her revenge for their killing of her people. She did not mind going to her own death, for it was glorious to take with her the warriors of the enemy nation." .
This self sacrifice demonstrates the utmost courage. The old Cree woman sacrificed her own life for the vengeance of her people. Finally in the myth "Windigo", a village warrior, Big Goose, finds his village destroyed and his people vanished. Although he was very brave, he knew he could not defeat what had destroyed his village, so he prayed to the Great Manitou for help. "As brave as he was, he knew he could never defeat such a monstrous giant. So Big Goose sat on the ground feeling very afraid and unhappy, and he prayed to the Great Manitou." It takes great courage to realize when we need help, and even greater to ask for it. All three of these heroes, as different as they are, all shared one quality; their courage. However, currently courageousness is underestimated. In the book, The Catcher in the Rye, the main character Holden Caulfield is somewhat less courageous then he makes himself out to be. "I"d only been in about two fights in my life, and I lost both of them. I"m not too tough. I"m a pacifist, if you want to know the truth."(p. 46. The Catcher in the Rye) This concludes that courage was definitely a requirement for ancient heroes, however, that quality is less desired in modern day heroes. .
The next quality that seems to be missing in our modern day hero is endurance. This can first be demonstrated in the myth "Windigo" Big Goose, the warrior was transformed into a monster to attempt to defeat Windigo who was an enormous creature by this point in the story. "After two weeks Missahba [Big Goose] killed Windigo, and the evil spell was broken." It would have taken an incredible amount of endurance to keep up a physical war between two monsters over a period of two weeks.