Guide Mentor

Character Role Analysis

The Mentor

Mentors are tricky types. They show up near the beginning of the Hero's Journey, and they're not always quite what they seem. Sometimes, they can be tricksters or illusionists, and the hero may mistake their intentions—remember how weirded out Luke Skywalker is the first time he meets Obi-Wan Kenobi?

But, as Campbell points out:

What such a figure represents is the benign, protecting power of destiny. (66.1)

And of course, their job is to show the hero the ropes, so anytime you get a character explaining to the hero what's what, or how to use this power, or how to get past this trap, you've pretty much got a mentor on your hands.