The Hidden History of the Word "Mentor"

The word mentor comes straight from Homer's 'Odyssey'—with a little help from the goddess Athena. The word "mentor" has its roots in Greek mythology. Discover how a loyal friend of Odysseus—and the goddess Athena—gave us the modern term. The names of several gods, monsters, creatures, and other characters from the myths of the ancient world have ended up as words in our everyday language, as their stories have been passed down through the centuries. The beautiful youth Narcissus, for instance, who famously fell for his own reflection, gave his name not only to the flower he eventually morphed into, but to the narcissism of being obsessed with your own appearance. The tragic mountain nymph that hopelessly fell in love with him, meanwhile, famously pined away until only her voice remained; her name gave us the word echo.