lash oneself to the mast · verb1
From the practice of tying oneself to the mast of a sailing ship in rough weather so as not to be swept overboard.
lash oneself to the mast · verb2
A reference to the scene in Homer's Odyssey in which Odysseus has his men lash him to the mast so that he will not succumb to the lure of the Sirens.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.