Mentor 81995 221198862 2008-06-23T13:53:49Z Solideogloriah 7359300 /* Mentor as term */ {{otheruses}} {{wiktionary}} In [[Greek mythology]], '''Mentor''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: ''Μέντωρ / Méntōr'')<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=mentor Online Etymology Dictionary - Mentor]</ref> was the son of [[Alcumus]] and, in his old age, a friend of [[Odysseus]]. When Odysseus left for the [[Trojan War]] he placed Mentor in charge of his son, [[Telemachus]], and of his palace. When [[Athena]] visited Telemachus she took the disguise of Mentor to hide herself from the suitors of Telemachus' mother [[Penelope]].<ref>Homer. [[Odyssey]], Book II, Lines 255 and 268.</ref> As Mentor, the goddess encourages Telemachus to stand up against the suitors and to go abroad in order to learn out about his father. When [[Odysseus]] returns to [[Ithaca]], Athena (in the form of Mentor) [http://www.mala.bc.ca/~johnstoi/homer/odyssey22.htm takes the form of a swallow] and the suitors' arrows have no effect on him. ==Mentor as term== [[Image:Telemachus and Mentor.JPG|right|thumb|"Telemachus and Mentor" Illustration for "Les Aventures de Télémaque".]] The first recorded modern usage of the term can be traced to a book entitled "Les Aventures de Telemaque", by the French writer [[François Fénelon]]<ref name="roberts_1999">Roberts, Andy. (1999) "The origins of the term mentor." ''History of Education Society Bulletin'', No. 64, November 1999, p. 313-329.</ref> In the book the lead character is that of Mentor. This book was published in 1699 and was very popular during the 18th century and the modern application of the term can be traced to this publication.<ref name="roberts_1999" /> This is the source of the modern use of the word '''mentor''': a trusted friend, counselor or teacher, usually a more experienced person. Some professions have "[[mentoring]] programs" in which newcomers are paired with more experienced people in order to obtain good examples and advice as they advance, and schools sometimes have mentoring programs for new students or students who are having difficulties. Today mentors provide their expertise to less experienced individuals in order to help them advance their careers, enhance their education, and build their networks. Many of the world's most successful people have benefited from having a mentor including: *business people - [[Freddie Laker]] mentored [[Richard Branson]] *politicians - [[Aristotle]] mentored [[Alexander the Great]] *actors - [[Mel Gibson]] mentored [[Heath Ledger]] *music - [[Johann Christian Bach]] mentored [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]] *athletes - [[Eddy Merckx]] (five-time Tour de France winner) mentored [[Lance Armstrong]] (seven-time Tour de France winner). *See HBO actors talk about the need for mentoring. [http://www.mentoring.org/psa/index.php HBO on Mentoring] Fictionally, a mentor is a common character in the [[Monomyth|hero's journey]]. Historically, [[Mentor of Rhodes]] was a Greek [[mercenary]] who at various times fought either for or against [[Artaxerxes III]]. ==Mentoree (or mentee)== '''The student of a mentor is called''' a ''[[protégé]]'' or ''mentoree''. More accurately, for the recondite, the protégé would be called the ''telemachus'' (pl. ''telemachuses'' or ''telemaches''). Sometimes, the protégé is also called a ''mentee''. The ''-or'' ending of the original name Mentor does not have the meaning of "the one who does something", as in other [[English language|English]] words such as ''[[independent_contractor|contractor]]'' or ''[[actor]]''. The [[derivation]] of ''mentee'' from ''mentor'' is therefore an example of [[backformation]] (cf. ''employer'' and ''employee''). ==See also== *[[Mentoring]] *[[Youth mentoring]] *[[Peer mentoring]] *[[Coaching]] *[[Tutor]] *[[MENTOR]] ==External links== *[http://www.carlisle.army.mil/library/bibs/mentor06.pdf Mentorship: A Selected Bibliography] ==References== {{reflist}} {{Characters in the Odyssey}} [[Category:Alternative education]] [[Category:Characters in the Odyssey]] [[Category:Greek loanwords]] [[bg:Ментор]] [[da:Mentor]] [[de:Mentor (Mythologie)]] [[el:Μέντωρ (μυθολογία)]] [[es:Mentor (mitología)]] [[eo:Mentoro]] [[fr:Mentor (mythologie)]] [[he:מנטור]] [[hu:Mentór (mitológia)]] [[nl:Mentor (mythologie)]] [[ja:メントール (ギリシア神話)]] [[no:Mentor]] [[nn:Mentor]] [[pl:Mentor (mitologia)]] [[ru:Ментор]] [[sv:Mentor]]