The root of the word, mentor, in Latin is “mens,” or “mind,” which also includes such concepts as “mentos” or intent, as well as purpose, spirit and passion. A mentor, like Athena in Homer's Odyssey, is positioned to intervene directly to help in figuring things out and more indirectly in offering perspective.
When Poseidon, the god of the sea, took leave from Mount Olympus to threaten all travelers at sea, it was Athena, the goddess of wisdom (often described as “clear eyed”) who intervened to assist Odysseus on his decade-long journey back home to Ithaca from the Trojan Wars. She did so directly, by rescuing him from shipwrecks. She also gave him room to overcome other challenges on his own.
In addition, Athena was quite active on the home front, intervening on behalf of other key members of Odysseus’ circle. She assisted Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, in standing up to the suitors seeking the hand of Odysseus’ wife and his mother, Penelope. And she even went so far as to disguise herself as Mentor, Telemachus’ tutor and the person most influential in his development from youth into adulthood. In brief, Athena functioned as a mentor.
In fact, Athena epitomized the art of mentoring, stepping in when necessary yet holding back when appropriate. Her approach was intergenerational. Her scope was communal. You could say that Athena is the patron saint for the method of mentoring we call “holistic.”
When Poseidon, the god of the sea, took leave from Mount Olympus to threaten all travelers at sea, it was Athena, the goddess of wisdom (often described as “clear eyed”) who intervened to assist Odysseus on his decade-long journey back home to Ithaca from the Trojan Wars. She did so directly, by rescuing him from shipwrecks. She also gave him room to overcome other challenges on his own.
In addition, Athena was quite active on the home front, intervening on behalf of other key members of Odysseus’ circle. She assisted Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, in standing up to the suitors seeking the hand of Odysseus’ wife and his mother, Penelope. And she even went so far as to disguise herself as Mentor, Telemachus’ tutor and the person most influential in his development from youth into adulthood. In brief, Athena functioned as a mentor.
In fact, Athena epitomized the art of mentoring, stepping in when necessary yet holding back when appropriate. Her approach was intergenerational. Her scope was communal. You could say that Athena is the patron saint for the method of mentoring we call “holistic.”