In the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Iliad'', ...

'', Mentor ( Greek: Μέντωρ, ''Méntōr''; gen.: Μέντορος) was the son of Alcimus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of

Odysseus Odysseus ( ; grc-gre, Ὀδυσσεύς, Ὀδυσεύς, OdysseúsOdyseús, ), also known by the Latin variant Ulysses ( , ; lat, UlyssesUlixes), is a legendary Greek king of Ithaca and the hero of Homer's epic poem the ''Odyssey''. Odys ...

. When Odysseus left for the

Trojan War In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans ( Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and ...

, he placed Mentor in charge of his son

Telemachus Telemachus ( ; grc, Τηλέμαχος, Tēlemakhos, lit=far-fighter), in Greek mythology, is the son of Odysseus and Penelope, who is a central character in Homer's ''Odyssey''. When Telemachus reached manhood, he visited Pylos and Sparta in s ...

, and of Odysseus' palace. Athena's appearance as Mentor should not be confused with her appearance as Mentes in the first book of the ''Odyssey''.Odyssey, 1.179ff.

Mentor as term

Because of Mentor's relationship with Telemachus, and the disguised Athena's encouragement and practical plans for dealing with personal dilemmas, the personal name ''Mentor'' has been adopted in Latin and other languages, including

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, as a term meaning someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less-experienced colleague. The first recorded modern usage of the term can be traced to a 1699 book entitled '' Les Aventures de Télémaque'' by the French writer

François Fénelon François de Salignac de la Mothe-Fénelon (), more commonly known as François Fénelon (6 August 1651 – 7 January 1715), was a French Catholic archbishop, theologian, poet and writer. Today, he is remembered mostly as the author of '' The ...

.Roberts, Andy. (1999) "The origins of the term mentor". ''History of Education Society Bulletin'', No. 64, November 1999, pp. 313–329. In the book the lead character is that of Mentor. This book was very popular during the 18th century and the modern application of the term can be traced to this publication.

References

External links

Homer’s Mentor: Duties Fulfilled or Misconstrued
��An on-line version of Andy Roberts' paper (see the References section) {{Authority control Alternative education Characters in the Odyssey Jungian archetypes