Famous Figures
Historical and fictional figures mapped to the sixteen values.
Odysseus
His determination to return home by any strategically necessary means, treating every obstacle as a problem to be solved on the way to his goal, reflects an Achievement orientation in which the objective organises all subordinate choices.
Explore Achievement →Ares
As the Greek god of conquest and military victory, Ares embodies the Achievement orientation focused entirely on winning, stripped of the strategic intelligence that would make the victories sustainable.
Explore Achievement →Achilles
His choice of a short, glorious life over a long, obscure one reflects the Courage orientation's foundational decision to live according to a principle rather than simply survive, even when survival is available.
Explore Courage →Thor
The Norse thunder god's defining characteristic is his willingness to face giants and world-ending forces on behalf of those who cannot defend themselves, making him a mythological expression of courageous action on principled grounds.
Explore Courage →Prometheus
His theft of fire from the gods to give to humanity, accepting permanent punishment as the consequence, represents the Courage orientation's archetypal form: bearing personal cost to deliver a principle others need.
Explore Courage →