courageous,
brave possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching; "Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver but less daring"- Herman Melville; "a frank courageous heart...triumphed over pain"- William Wordsworth; "set a courageous example by leading them safely into and out of enemy-held territory"
spirit a fundamental emotional and activating principle determining one's character
mettle,
spunk,
nerve,
heart any bundle of nerve fibers running to various organs and tissues of the body
