The Role Archetypes series is focused on presenting archetypal character roles in a way that focuses on their development throughout stories, with a particular eye to games (although most of the examples given will be taken from literature).

Today we're going to talk about the Mentor, the fourth of ten roles we'll explore.

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The Mentor in Narrative

Most people are familiar with the concept of the Mentor, since it's one that is commonly taught in schools as a counterpart to the Hero. However, the average understanding of the Mentor often does not extend beyond "They're the dude that teaches the hero in the story."

The Mentor actually has a couple important roles. They represent tradition and the power that it holds; without them the Hero may very well be able to complete the Hero's Journey, but they will do so without a foundation. Such a quest often has a tragic end, as the Hero misses what they need (it is common for the Mentor in a tragedy to be replaced with a Serpent, or entirely absent).

Since the Mentor represents the positive side of tradition, they are important to help anchor the Hero in their society. While the Hero is forced to change over the course of the Hero's Journey, it is not generally considered desirable for the Hero's ego–their sense of self–to be entirely destroyed by this adventure.

The Mentor helps to ensure that the Hero survives to reach the other side of the story in such a state that they can be welcomed back into society and take on a role of responsibility or leadership within it.

Examples of the Mentor

Mentors are nearly as common as Heroes; Frodo has Gandalf, many Greek heroes like Hercules meet an Oracle, and Luke has Yoda. Stories are full of wizened old men and women who are able to guide heroes.

Because they are so common, it is not necessarily useful to break down any single example, but there are generally three common qualities:

1. The Mentor is a heroic figure in and of themselves in most stories.
2. The Mentor is incapable of taking the Hero's burden for themselves.
3. The Mentor serves as an example for the Hero.

An example I like to use to illustrate this quickly is Haymitch of The Hunger Games. A former victor of the Hunger Games, he's proven his merit (even if this merit doesn't seem obvious at first, since he is dealing with the trauma he received during the Games), he cannot take part in the Games himself, and he has advice and experiences that guide Katniss through the course of the novel.

The exact nature of the Mentor's appearance in the various stories differ, but there is a universal element of both instruction but also enlightenment that the Mentor must provide to the Hero.

Derivative Forms

The Word

The Word is a variant of the Mentor that is distinct from the traditional form because it is inherently divine in nature. Named for the Abrahamic conception of the Logos (e.g. the Christian Godhead), the Word is a distinct concept from the perspective of the Mentor because it represents something from outside the known word entirely.

Using the Word as an alternative to the Mentor represents a paradigmatic shift in the ethics and morals of the Hero; not only will the Hero become a model of right living, but nobody has ever lived in the correct fashion before the Hero will follow the Word's guidance.

Psychologically, this reflects the need for morality to change as humanity enters a new frontier; we can find it in modern examples increasingly as artificial intelligence that transcends human limitation, or even a social structure or memetic figure (equivalent to a good version of Orwell's Big Brother). It may also occur in the form of a divine figure, as in C.S. Lewis' Narnia saga which features Aslan, who serves as an analogy for the Christian Godhead.

The Word changes the Hero, rather than anchoring them in tradition (as it represents either a departure from tradition or a return to a tradition that had been forgotten), and often inspires them to create something wholly new.

The Iconoclast

The Iconoclast functions like the Mentor, but breaks down (typically only partially) the traditions of the Hero's society. They are reformers or visionaries who can present a better way of life to the Hero than they could have found in themselves.

The Iconoclast is useful because they limit the Hero from tradition. When significant, but not fully revolutionary change is required, they are willing to break unhelpful conventions in order to provide the Hero the example needed to bring those changes to the wider world. The Hero breaking tradition on their own would make them dangerous to society; a radical revolutionary and a Caesar figure.

An examples of the Iconoclast is Morpheus from The Matrix. He transforms Neo's view about the world, but not the fundamental essence of his endeavors as a Hero: while Neo wanted to fight authority as a hacker, he later realizes that he is the One who will bring the universe back into balance and harmony.

Neo meets Morpheus, from The Matrix

The Adversary

The dualistic opposite of the Mentor, the Adversary creates problems for the Hero and leads them to the brink of destruction, but does so in a way that challenges them to change. The Adversary is not automatically a representation of the Villain or the Serpent, though the same character may play these parts.

An example of this is Frankenstein's Monster in Frankenstein. While Frankenstein is young and youthful, he refuses to accept accountability for his actions. He is willing to recognize his mistakes, but he blames them on other people (essentially asking why others had not taken the moral burden of putting him on the right path). The creation of the Monster (who not coincidentally identifies himself with Milton's Lucifer) forces Frankenstein to disabuse himself of the notions that he is entirely innocent and well-intentioned.

Psychologically, this is a representation of the dangers of tradition, or rather the dangers unprotected against by tradition. The Adversary may earn the Hero's trust only to break it (becoming an archetypal Shapeshifter), but typically they are shown in clear contrast to the Hero from the start; a sort of tangible evil that instructs the Hero by nature of its existence.

It's worth noting that this can be a counter-exemplar for the Hero as well; they do not have to be a major character that recurs throughout the story but rather a character whose actions disgust or appall the Hero, causing them to choose a better path. One common example of this is found in the tyrannical father (Hacksaw Ridge, a biographical WWII film, uses this to great effect). The Hero rejects the negative element–the demiurge–that shows in this figure (which may go on to be manifested later in antagonists).

Fight Club's Tyler Durden takes on this role, though he at first appears to be an Iconoclast.

The Mentor in Games

In games, Mentors often play a similar role to their appearances in other media. They insert themselves in important plot points, frequently in tutorial sections where the player is learning how to play and in places where the player character may be gaining new abilities or equipment.

To really utilize a Mentor well, it's important to consider what role they play; a good Mentor figure needs to provide a meaningful change in the player's experience. Star Wars: Jedi Academy is an example of this gone right; Kyle Katarn provides the player's character with the guidance and mentoring (plus commentary on their abilities and scenarios where they can learn how to use them), and also useful direction.

Wrapping Up

The Mentor not only helps to prepare the Hero, they also set the stage for what sort of transformation the Hero will experience, and subsequently what their relationship to the old world will be.

This is part of the reason why they are so important: they inspire the Hero while guiding them.

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