The Origin of Mentor…

The myth of Mentor…

The origin of the word ‘Mentor’ can be traced back to an epic Greek poem called the Odyssey which has been attributed to Homer from Ancient Greece which is thought to be at least 3000 years old which is often cited as the genesis of the concept of mentoring. The focus of the poem is mainly on the Greek hero Odyssey who was the king of Ithaca, who left his wife Penelope and infant son Telemachus to fight with the Greek alliance in the Trojan War, and his journey home following the fall of Troy. He entrusted the guardianship of his son as well as his royal household to his old friend, Mentor, undoubtedly expecting to return swiftly. The Trojan War lasted for 10 years and it took Odyssey a further 10 years to get home to Ithaca. Mentor cared for Ulysses’ son, Telemachus, until his return and advised him with the objective of grooming him to take charge of family responsibilities during his father´s absence.

Mentor the educator…

The concept of mentor was further developed in a book authored by the Fenelon, ‘The Adventures of Telemachus’. Fenelon used the term ‘mentor which he derived from the Greek poem Odyssey to deal with the topic of education. He posited that a mentor should be both a guide and also an educator mentoring a relationship between the teacher and the student.

Mentoring is highly popular…

Recently mentoring has become highly popular and now means “wise adviser, intimate friend who is also a sage counsellor,” particularly of someone who is young or inexperienced. In the Greek Poem the name possibly ultimately means “adviser,” because in form it is an agent noun of mentos “intent, purpose, spirit, passion”.