[Anguirel]

Perhaps it should be noted that valuing honour over live is not considered the highest heroism; rather valuing fellowship and love over life. Boromir displayed the former attribute when he tried to seize the Ring for Gondor, and the latter when he died to protect Merry and Pippin. We all consider the latter deed the redemption of the former one.

Sir Gawain of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight briefly puts his life above his honour, and castigates himself severely for it; yet he is considered to have succeeded in his Quest as nearly as a human being could have done, and admired by Arthur's court. This is quite close to a subversive attack on the very notion of honour.

Honour in history caused terrible as well as great enterprises. The heroism and quixotic glory of Richard Coeur-de-Lion in the Third Crusade was counterbalanced by the brutality and avarice of the Crusaders against the Cathar heretics only a couple of decades later.

In Tolkien, also, I would argue that the greatest deeds are ultimately dictated not by the Homeric heroic code, which put honour above everything, but by the Christian ethic of heroism-"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend." Honour leads to the Oath of Feanor, love to the Fellowship of the Ring.

((Notice that I, personally, am far more interested in the doomed honour-driven enterprises. But that's just a quirk of my character. Don't try this at home...))