What impact did battles and heroes and song lyrics have on national identity

It forms the way that the people apart of that nation percieve their country.  As well it encourages almost romantacizing conflict in the way that it seems epic and more heroic.  This can be dangerous because it starts to make peoples first reaction to an issue start to revolve around conflict.  For example if a country is being faced with a possible global crisis a possible solution that is always on the table is war and battle because their whole lives in that country they have been exposed to that concept and therefore is more familiar to them.  That "our country has to have a strong milotary this is America for gosh sake!" (just an example)  It  creates a connection between national identity and conflict, which serves to make both more prevelent.