Heroes, or protagonists, tend to have any number of helpers along their way. One of those is the mentor. Mentors are usually wizened elders (though they need not be old at all) who may have had substantial past experiences similar to those of the hero. Mentors are able to lend sage advice to the protagonist, or point him in the right direction on his way to his goal. Mentors generally show up early in a story, usually before or not long after, the inciting incident. A mentor might impart some form of wisdom that the hero may find useful as he attempts to figure out what to do, or which way to
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