CHARACTER ARCHETYPES SERIES
The Mentor Archetype
Acts as a compass to the Hero and guides them in facing their Journey.
The third article of the Character Archetypes Series talks about the Mentor.
To do this, let us resume our Hero’s Journey.
Our Hero, whom we talked about extensively in the previous article, has now just passed the third phase, also called “Refusal of the Call”. Being faced with a difficult situation, they initially refuse to understand or undertake the physical journey.
At this moment, in this fourth phase called “the Meeting with the Mentor”, they meet one of the most important characters for them and the journey itself: the Mentor.
The Mentor acts as a compass for the Hero, advises them, and guides them through the narrative.
The Characteristics of the Mentor
This is the most important character in the Hero’s Journey and the one most discussed. The relationship between the Mentor and the Hero takes up, in some ways, the relationship between a parent and a child. The mentor is an essential figure in any narrative. Obi-wan Kenobi is the Mentor of Luke Skywalker, to whom he teaches the ways of the Jedi.
This archetype acts as a shoulder to the Hero and guides them in facing their Journey. A Mentor is usually a person whom the Hero trusts.
Often the Mentor is a former hero. Someone who has already faced the same kind of difficulty and path in their time. They are a very wise person, sometimes elderly bearded man who aims to motivate the Hero and pushes them to embark on their Journey.
The Mentor explains the rules of the Special World to the Hero
In “The Lord of the Rings”, for example, Gandalf explains to Frodo what he is about to run into and urges him to flee by embarking on the Journey. He will always be close to him in one way or another.
The same goes for Morpheus in “The Matrix” in search of the Chosen One. When he finds Neo, he saves him from the Matrix by explaining to him which reality is built by machines and which is real. Morpheus is also a Mentor who trains Neo, the Hero, and advises and stands by to guide him to the completion of the Journey.
The Matrix is everywhere, it is the world that has been placed before your eyes to hide the truth from you.
MORPHEUS
The Mentor can be one or even more than one.
In Harry Potter, for example, there are two Mentors: Hagrid and Dumbledore. Hagrid follows Harry Potter from the beginning, worrying about saving a small baby from Voldemort by entrusting him to his uncles until he is fourteen. Dumbledore will care for Harry and grow him as a wizard on his Journey.
What is the Mentor’s job?
The Mentor’s task is to prepare and instruct the Hero for the difficulties and trials they might encounter. For this reason, the Mentor sometimes gives Hero gifts that can protect them or make them stronger.
Continuing with the example of Harry Potter, even after his death, Dumbledore makes sure that Harry Potter has gifts that can be useful to him in the final challenge of the narrative. Think of the resurrection stone or the same cloak of invisibility given to Harry in the first year of school.
The Mentor, however, leads the Hero towards their goal until the completion of the mission but can never face any test in their place. Even in the final difficulty, the greatest, the Mentor steps aside. The Hero learned everything they needed from the Mentor. Now they must be able to complete the Journey on their own.
This is why the relationship between these two is fundamental: one needs the other. Without the Mentor, the Hero would not be able to undertake the Journey. But without the Hero, the Mentor would not achieve their purpose or something that completes their life path.
In “Hercules” Disney animated film, the ancient hero trainer Philoctetes has the dream of educating a hero so strong that his image will be painted among the stars by the Gods and everyone will remember him “that’s Phil’s boy”. With this motivation, Hercules, the Hero of history, finds himself having to leave his Ordinary World to begin his Hero’s Journey: so he convinces Philoctetes to train and instruct him.
The next phase: Crossing the First Threshold
In the “Crossing the First Threshold” stage, the Mentor has instructed their Hero, giving them all the tools they need, and the Hero is ready to embark on the Journey. They then cross the First Threshold.
It is the complete abandonment of the Ordinary World from which the Hero had begun to detach themself.
Consider Neo taking the red pill when he decides to discover the truth. It is the moment of decision and the first action that will lead the Hero never to go back. The challenges that await him are endless and unknown. But now, ready and supported by the Mentor, he cannot help but continue.
In the other stages, the Mentor will always be present, but other characters will also intervene. I will explain them with the subsequent phases of the Journey in the next articles.
Conclusions
We become fond of the figure of the Mentor almost as much as that of the Hero. Thanks to this character, the Hero can face their Journey and trials, even the most complicated ones.
On the other hand, when we face a difficult choice, we all look for our mentor. Be it a friend, a parent, a brother, or a sister: we seek advice from someone who has more experience than us or has already faced the same choice. Their closeness and advice give us comfort, strength and make us feel less alone.
Because, as in every narrative and life story, united we stand, divided we fall.
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