I’m a little slow off the mark with this month’s tough travels, but better late than never!
This feature was originally created and run by Nathan at Fantasy Review Barn and is now hosted by Laura Hughes at Fantasy Faction. Inspired by Diana Wynne Jones’s humorous classic The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, every month it puts the spotlight on a particular fantasy trope, theme or cliché, and invites bloggers to list stand-out books related to that week’s theme.
This month’s theme is mentors:
A Mentor will be at your service until around halfway through the tour of Fantasyland, when you will unaccountably lose him. Before that he will guide you, tell you what to do in the face of strange customs, and even sometimes instruct you in how to perform minor MAGICS. The Tough Guide suggests that the mentor will be several hundred years old, probably with a long white beard, which will give him the right to be bossy, smug, tiresomely philosophical and infuriatingly secretive about all-important facts.
The “unaccountably lose him” bit in that paragraph cracks me up. It’s true that fantasy mentors often show up to launch the main character into action, then conveniently disappear… I know it happens so that the heroes have to face challenges by themselves, but sometimes the departure is so weakly justified I have to roll my eyes a little. The same goes when the mentors are “tiresomely philosophical and infuriatingly secretive”. That said, I do still love a great magical mentor.
As for the part about being hundreds of years old with long white beards– a few months ago I wrote a post about the relative scarcity of female magical mentors in fantasy fiction, inspired by a similar description from the Tough Guide. However, in doing so I did think of a few great female magical mentors, as did many commenters, so a couple of them will be on my list today. If you want more examples of magical mentors of the non-bearded variety, you can go check out the comments on that post.
So here are my five favourite fantasy mentors:
Granny Weatherwax (Discworld)
I’m going to cheat a little here, because while I encountered and loved Granny Weatherwax in the Discworld novel Wyrd Sisters, it’s only really in Equal Rites and the ‘Tiffany Aching’ sub-series that she takes on a more prominent mentor-like role (as I learned from several commenters on a previous post), and I confess I haven’t read either of those in full yet.
However, since I love her brusk, no-nonsense, amusing approach to things, and am looking forward to seeing how she mentors the young witches in those other novels, I am including her in my list.
Orea Pullawr (Lightbringer)
I know I’ve mentioned the Lightbringer series a few times for these Tough Travelling features, but I have to do it again, because Orea Pullawr, a.k.a ‘The White’, is one of my favourite magical mentors to date. She’s the old, seemingly frail head of a powerful magical government. In the first books I didn’t give her much thought, but by the third book the depth of her wisdom, skill, foresight and humility is revealed, as is her excellence at out-manoeuvring her enemies and her willingness to make sacrifices for the good of others. She becomes an incredible mentor to two characters I won’t name (because spoilers!), and provides sage advice and guidance to so many others.
Father Chains (The Gentleman Bastards)
When I first encountered Father Chains in The Lies of Locke Lamora he was a suspect character – a professional con man purchasing young orphans to add to his own private band of thieves – but I soon came to love this unorthodox mentor. He gives Locke and the others a home, a family, and an education so extensive that they have every advantage in life… albeit in a life of thievery. Even the thievery, however, seems noble, as it is only the grotesquely rich and powerful the Gentleman Bastards prey upon. Father Chains is humorous and intelligent (and well narrated in the audiobook version), and as his young protégés encounter people more cruel and evil than they could ever be, you realise he gifted them not only their skill, but the decency and good-hearted-ness that makes you love them… and that is a rare gift in the corrupt world of Camorr.
Gandalf (The Lord of the Rings)
I had to mention Gandalf, not only because he is one of the most renowned fantasy mentors of all time (perhaps second only to Merlin), but because he is a character I loved, and who won my heart thoroughly in The Fellowship of the Ring when I first read it. I particularly liked his humour and humility, and the friendships he formed with the hobbits. I also liked that he was not the most powerful or influential wizard from the outset, but became so when faced with betrayal and evil. He’s also just so darn wise that he is endlessly quotable:
“Many that live deserve death. And some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them? Then do not be too eager to deal out death in judgement. For even the very wise cannot see all ends.”
Albus Dumbledore (Harry Potter)
While I know this is another predictable choice, I believe Dumbledore is my favourite fictional mentor, and holds a nostalgic place in my heart. I confess I may have shed a tear or two because of him. He was inspiring, powerful, wise and complex, and while he may have put his young students and mentees through a great deal of stress and danger, it was all for the good of fictional enjoyment and I don’t begrudge him one bit of it! (Please note: I am talking about book Dumbledore here, not film Dumbledore… I’ll save the rant and simply say I liked his character more in the books!).
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For links to more Tough Travelling posts, or to join in yourself and see next month’s theme, check out the host page on Fantasy Faction.
And if you have your own favourite fantasy mentor, feel free to mention them in the comments!
Thoughts on Fantasy 
Gandalf is definitely up there for me too, although I am very biased as my father (being 60 when I was born and therefore having a white beard) was nicknamed Gandalf by many of his friends. He also passed our family’s almost genetic love of Tolkien to me, and I am planning a Gandalf tattoo in his memory. As far as books go, Ogion from Ursula LeGuin’s Earthsea series would also be up there for me. I love Granny Weatherwax too! I’m going to have to go back and re-read Equal Rites soon!!!
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Oh that is such a great nickname to have! Especially if your father loved Tolkien. I can see why you are biased – that’s a wonderful family connection to share. Ogion is a great choice too, it’s been ages since I read Earthsea but now you mention it I remember really liking him as well. And I really must finally read Equal Rites!!
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It seems like the most memorable mentors are the ones that actually stick around throughout the story or the series. Gandalf comes back often in Tolkien’s stories, Granny Weatherwax is always around somewhere. I’d add the wizard Zedd from the Sword of Truth series as another one that stick in my mind, primarily because he is always present and his mentor-ship, and friendship, of the protagonist of the story never really ends, no matter how powerful the hero becomes.
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Yes actually I realised many fantasy mentors die in dramatic sacrificial moments, but if they do so too early (and don’t get resurrected) they are not as memorable because they don’t stick around long enough. The one exception that comes to mind is Father Chains – he has actually already passed away at the start of the Gentleman Bastards series, but the books have so many flashbacks, and he is so present in the characters minds, that funnily enough he feels like he is there still anyway! I haven’t read Sword of Truth yet but I will keep my eye out for wizard Zedd when I do.
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I had a Tough Traveling post drafted last month which I never managed to complete, but you can bet The Lies of Locke Lamora books was on it. Father Chains is one of my favorite mentors!
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So glad you’re a Father Chains fan too – he’s brilliant!! I get sad sometimes to remember that in the ‘present day’ story he is already gone 😦
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hahaha yes they always seem to go missing and to be infuriatingly secretive!! I’m really really curious about the White and Father Chains (great name!) And of course I love Granny and Gandalf 😀 hehe I think Dumbledore’s a great choice (though I do begrudge him for a few things 😉 ) And oh gosh, don’t get me started on film Dumbledore! Great post!
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Thanks! I think you’d like the White (you have to get to book 3 or 4 before you really get to know her… but the series is so full of epic twists and turns that that doesn’t feel like a hard task – to me anyway!) and Father Chains is awesome too. The reason behind his name is pretty good as well 🙂 (its a bit hard to explain but he is also a priest… just not quite the kind you’d expect). Haha fair enough, I can see why you might begrudge Dumbledore a few things!!
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You’re welcome! Oh that’s good to know. And I can’t wait to find out what that is. hehehe yes 😉 Mostly Sirius’ death- although I blame Harry for that too 😉 (no, I’m not over it, and yes I realise it’s been over ten years 😉 )
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I hope you like those books if you read them!! Yeah I remember being angry about Sirius’s death and everything that led to it too (mostly angry at Harry, but also a bit at Dumbledore), but my memory is not as good as yours because the details are all a bit blurry now 😉
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Thank you! hehehe yes 😉
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I’d actually put Gandalf first. As much as i like Dumbledore, it’s Gandalf we all think of when you say Wizard. He’s the one who made all wizards be grouchy old men with kind hearts underneath.
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Yes Gandalf really is the archetypal grouchy-but-kind-hearted old wizard – I do love him (I also cried when I thought he was gone!). But Dumbledore still holds the top spot for me – I think because I grew up reading Harry Potter, and didn’t tackle LOTR till my late teens (theres too much nostalgia & familiarity evoked by those half-moon glasses!)
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I am sulking so badly right now. Firstly, I didn’t think of Granny Weatherwax and, secondly, I did think of Chains but forgot him on my final list. Drat and double drat!
Lynn 😀
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Oh no! Well, I also nearly forgot Chains actually, it was a last-minute glance at my shelf that reminded me. Seems he slips through the cracks easily (like any good priest of the Crooked Warden should 🙂 )
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You are so good at these lists! I definitely agree with Gandalf and Dumbledore. I’m sure I’d agree with the others if I had read those books. Why are there so many amazing books to read?! So little time…
My contributions? If we count them, Yoda and Obi-Wan from Star Wars also come to mind. Moiraine Damodred from The Wheel of Time, for sure. And Alfred Pennyworth from Batman– but he doesn’t really have the magic. 😉
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Thanks! Yes that is also my eternal conundrum – too many amazing books and too little time!! Yoda and Obi-Wan are also great classic mentor choices. I think I cried when Obi-Wan died (I was a kid when I first saw it)… it seems I do a lot of crying over lost mentors! Alfred is wonderful, wise and loveable too, even if not very magical 🙂
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You aren’t alone; I also cried when Obi-Wan died! I was definitely not expecting it. However, I *was* expecting it for Qui-Gon Jinn…
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Orea was great and is one of my favorite characters in the Lightbringer series. I also liked Durzo in Weeks’ Night Angel series for similar reasons; both characters, while quite different, have a lot of conflicting and fascinating motives.
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So glad you liked her too! I haven’t read the Night Angel trilogy yet but I am keen to. Weeks does seem to excel at creating characters with interesting conflicting motives and secrets. I still can’t entirely tell who is on the “good” and “bad” side in The Lightbringer series… each time I think I’ve got it figured out something happens to make me doubt my presumptions!
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Lovely choices, Nicola! I have to say I unfortunately have only read HP so far from this list
But I couldn’t agree more: Dumbledore is and always will be one of my favorite mentors of all time. Yes, he was a bit cuckoo and didn’t always make sense or the best choices (at first glance) but everything worked out in the end so… He’ll always hold a special place in my heart and I did cry a lot because of him.
I want to start The Gentleman Bastards and Discworld sometime in the future, too. They sound amazing!
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Thanks! Dumbledore really does win hearts despite all his flaws, I’m glad you feel the same way. And I hope you like those other series! I found the first book of Gentleman Bastards a little slow to start but by the end I loved it. And the Discworld series is so vast and varied… I’ve read 6 of them, but that feels like nothing amidst 41! (they are always amusing, witty short reads though). So far my favourite is Mort, because I love the character of Death, but I’m also really enjoying the Tiffany Aching sub series.
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I’ve been meaning to read Discworld for ages but it’s just so intimidating, you know? Too many books! But I’ve heard they’re super worth it so I’ll try to at least give the first one a shot.
Glad to know that about GB. Sometimes a slow beginning will put me off and I’ll just give up before all the fun begins…
Dumbledore’s quotes specially have always tugged at my heartstrings. That man is one of a kind ❤
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I know the feeling – there are several series that I haven’t read yet because they intimidate me with their sheer size! But Discworld is great, and most of the books work independently so you don’t have to read all of them to get ‘resolution’, or even necessarily read them in a particular order, which I like. Anyway, I hope you like them. And I’m the same, I adore Dumbledore quotes!! ❤
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Ah I always thought they followed a specific order! Great to know 🙂 That might help me get to them faster hahaha
Yay to Dumbledore quotes ❤️😄
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Yeah they are mostly just standalones set in the same world, which makes it easy. Some sub-series do have an order, but each book resolves so you don’t have to continue to find out the end of some grand overarching story. Btw I found this Discworld reading guide chart helpful (it might look intimidating but it helps you choose what you’re interested in and see how the books [loosely] connect!): http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-official-discworld-infographic/ Anyway, maybe useful when you get to them if it doesn’t scare you off 🙂
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Oh thank you! I might have stumbled upon it once but completely forgot it existed so it’s awesome that you brought it up 🙂 These types of series/sagas usually require one. I’m so glad we have the internet to rely on xD
Thanks again ❤
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Gandalf and Father Chains are two of my favorites as well! This is a great post.
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The Priest from Count of Monte Cristo?
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I haven’t read that yet but I want to! I don’t think it is a fantasy though – I often hear it described as an adventure novel.
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Yes it’s not fantasy! My bad… But a great story nonetheless 🙂
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I look forward to reading it then!
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