As I typed this out, my mind wandered to Sméagol (aka Gollum) in the Lord of the Rings. Tolkien writes: “The most inquisitive and curious‑minded of that family was called Sméagol. He was interested in roots and beginnings; he dived into deep pools; he burrowed under trees and growing plants; he tunneled into green mounds; and he ceased to look up at the hill‑tops, or the leaves on trees, or the flowers opening in the air: his head and his eyes were downward.”^[1] It is good to be curious about beginnings and that is true of the journey of the word “mentor” from a proper to a common noun.  

The history of the word “mentor” from a proper noun to a common noun reveals modern-day applications for leadership development.  The first mention of the word “mentor” refers to a character in Homer’s Odyssey.^[2]  Mentor, as a proper noun, was the name of the advisor appointed to Telemachus, King Odysseus’ son, during the Trojan war around 1200 BCE.^[3]  Mentor’s ancient role as a counselor and guide shapes our modern definition.  

The word “mentor” would remain a proper noun until 1699 when Fénelon, a French author, broadened its use to mean a counselor full of wisdom.^[4]  By 1750, the word was employed by the Oxford English Dictionary as a term for “a wise counselor or guide.”^[5]  In the mid-18^th century, the common noun was adopted into English. For example, the word and its meaning as a wise advisor are found in the literary and philosophical writings of Samuel Johnson (1709-1784).^[6]  In the 19^th Century, with the expansion of a formal education, the term became associated with teachers and advisors in education and business settings.^[7] By 1828, Noah Webster defines “mentor” as a “wise and faithful counselor or monitor.”^[8] In the 20^th century, the term became more broadly applied to education, business and career development. Mentoring became formalized and programmatic during this era.^[9] In Seasons of a Man’s Life, Daneile Levinson’s describes how the term is understood during this era. He writes, “A mentor is typically a senior person in the world of work who, in the context of a hierarchically structured organization, takes a younger person under his wing, teaches and advises him, and fosters his professional and personal development. The mentor acts as a teacher, sponsor, guide, exemplar, and counselor.”^[10]

The term today is defined as “an experienced and trusted adviser”.^[11] A fuller understanding, which reflects this modern meaning is, given by Brad Johson in his book, On Being a Mentor. He explains a mentor as, “A person who serves as a trusted guide, teacher, and role model, offering support, encouragement, and wisdom to facilitate the mentee’s personal and professional development.”^[12]

The terms movement from mythology to professional and personal development, spanning from the writing of The Odyssey to the present, is unusual.  The regular use of the word reflects a continuous need of an older and more experienced counselor to come alongside another lesser experienced person for reasons of growth and development in various spheres of life.  AS we will see in the next post, the history of the word and its application can is also applied to discipleship and leadership in the local church as observed in the Old and New Testament.   

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^[1] J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, Book I, chap. “The Shadow of the Past,” p. 52-54 

^[2] Homer, The Odyssey, trans. Robert Fagles (New York: Penguin Classics, 1996), 2.225–270.

^[3] Homer, Odyssey, 2.401–405.

^[4] Patrick Riley, The General Will before Rousseau: The Transformation of the Divine into the Civic. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986), 112–115.

^[5] Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “mentor,” accessed June 25, 2025, https://www.oed.com/.

^[6] William Roberts A Dawn of Imaginative Feeling: The Contribution of Samuel Johnson to a New Theory of Poetry. (Ottawa: Carleton University Press,1996) 89–91.

^[7] Simpson, J. A., and E. S. C. Weiner, eds. Oxford English Dictionary.2nd ed. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1989) s.v. “mentor,” 6:512–513.

^[8] Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (New York: S. Converse, 1828), s.v. “mentor,” accessed June 17, 2025, https://webstersdictionary1828.com/Dictionary/mentor.

^[9] Daniel J. Levinson, The Seasons of a Man’s Life. (New York: Knopf, 1978), 97–101.

^[10] Daniel J. Levinson, The Seasons of a Man’s Life, 97–101.  

^[11] Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson, eds., Concise Oxford English Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004).

^[12] W. Brad. Johnson, 2015. On Being a Mentor: A Guide for Higher Education Faculty. 2nd ed. (New York: Routledge, 2015), 17.