The Mythic Teacher
© 2007 Jay D'Ambrosio, M.A., used with permission

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. — Henry Brooks Adams

There can be no triumph without loss. No victory without suffering. No freedom without sacrifice. — J.R.R. Tolkien

I remember the terror of the first day of my first year as a middle school teacher. I was what was known as a traveling teacher, a teacher who does not have a classroom of his own. I guess you could say that I didn't have a real office. My home base was a storage closet that had been hastily cleared out just prior to the start of the school year. Sitting there, staring at the wall of my "office," anxiously awaiting the start of my very first lesson as a professional educator, I felt a surge of fear. "I don't know how to teach! What do I do if they don't listen to me or if they misbehave? Will they see that I am nervous beyond belief?" Like most new teachers, my concerns were focused primarily on myself, instead of the students. Needless to say, my first year was demanding, a rite of passage, but I ended up falling in love with the profession. Over the next decade, my thoughts on the first days of school have begun to center on the well-being of the students that will be under my care, rather than on my own insecurities. If any of you have been called to the field of education or to mentor a child, maybe you can relate to this often difficult balance.

Think about this for a moment. Each student seated before you arrives with a story, a story that is even now at that very moment, shaping their destiny. What will they become? Inside each young heart hide dreams that may or may not be fulfilled, along with the secret hopes and fears that we all conceal deep within.

Whether you are a teacher, a parent, a mentor, or simply someone who has the opportunity to interact with students, you have been placed in a position of considerable influence and power. Your words can wound ... and heal. Your actions can crush a dream ... or give it wings. Are you starting to sweat? Feeling the pressure? Don't worry. If you are, it is only because you care. Let's delve into the ancient myths to breathe in the wisdom and insight they offer to those who work with today's youth.

In Greek mythology, there exist two archetypal mentor/teacher figures, Chiron and Athena. The first was not even human. In fact, he was a centaur, a creature that had the face, arms, and torso of a man, supported by the strong body of a horse. Chiron played important roles throughout Hellenic mythology as a teacher and mentor. He powerfully influenced his students, but suffered his share of pain as well. Some of his students went on to live their dreams, while others had tragic endings.

Chiron

Teachers often end up learning a great deal from their students and in turn, learn more about themselves, not merely as teachers, but as human beings. We will observe two students of Chiron, a father and son, to see what we can discover about what it means to teach and mentor another soul from the heart.

Peleus was a student who came to Chiron in his older years, one who had already experienced much life by the time he encountered the wise centaur. As an Argonaut, Peleus had joined Jason in the quest for the Golden Fleece. Upon his return however, he fell into a web of deceit and intrigue. Peleus was falsely accused of trying to seduce the wife of another Argonaut. The offended Argonaut, Acastus, led Peleus into a diabolical trap. He asked Peleus to join him on a hunting expedition on the slopes of Mount Pelion. While resting, Acastus hid the sword of Peleus and abandoned him in the wilderness. Peleus eventually awoke and began searching for his sword. Without warning, he was besieged by wild centaurs that were known for their heartless savagery. His ghost would have been given up right there on the cold mountainside, but for the intervention of the noble centaur, Chiron.

After saving the life of his new pupil, Chiron mentored Peleus, teaching him about the mysteries of life. He guided him to Thetis, the sea-nymph, and explained the subtle ways of a woman's heart. When Peleus finally won the hand of Thetis in marriage, Chiron presented his student with a mighty spear. This spear carried with it the magical power to heal as well as wound. In essence, he taught Peleus that there is a right time and season for everything, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to sow and a time to harvest. This is a message that is sorely needed in our world today, that there is a time to be strong, but also a time to be gentle. So many in our society want everything right now, but it is in waiting for the right time and season that builds our character and feeds our heart.

Life is comprised of pairs of opposites: light and dark, male and female, war and peace, good and evil. When a student has deeply imbibed these realities, he is ready to be a warrior, and fight for just causes. Chiron blessed his Peleus by teaching him both the intricacies of battle and the ways of love. Peleus went on to become a king and the compassion he learned at the feet of Chiron in turn blessed many. Our presence in the life of a young person ultimately enriches his life and the lives of countless others.

After Peleus had left Chiron's mentorship to become a king, he and his Nereid wife, Thetis, conceived a male child named Achilles. Following his birth, his mother, wanting him to become immortal, dipped him into the Styx, the river that enclosed the underworld. Wherever the waters touched his skin, Achilles was rendered invulnerable to attack. His only weakness was his heel by which his mother held him. Eventually, Thetis returned to her sea-god father, leaving Peleus and Achilles to their fate.

Grateful for the wisdom that Chiron had imparted to him years earlier, Peleus committed his young son to the tutelage of the venerable centaur. Chiron taught Achilles the ways of the world. He fed the young hero a bizarre diet consisting of the entrails of lions and wild swine, as well as the bone marrow of bears. What a strange thing to do! Let's look at this metaphorically, rather than literally. Lions represented mythical strength. The strength of a lion flows from the inside, from the innards. What Chiron was doing was filling the young Achilles with inner strength to match his immortal exterior. How many students have you encountered who put on an outer show of strength, but are empty and aching on the inside? Chiron teaches us that as adults, we need to invest in the character and emotional strength of those in our care.

Keep in mind that Chiron also feeds Achilles the viscera of wild swine. What purpose does this serve in the mythical realm? Pigs often served as sacrificial animals to the ancient Greeks. In consuming them, Achilles is being taught to become one with the sacrifice, to sacrifice himself for a cause and for his brothers. This concept eventually played a central role in both his life and his death.

Finally, the wise teacher feeds Achilles the marrow of bears. What is the significance of this? The answer lies in the habits and symbology of bears. To the ancients, bears often symbolized a connection to Mother Earth. Bears hibernate in a cave, metaphorically the womb of the earth. Bones, or the marrow of bones, can suggest mortality. Achilles was caught between two worlds. He was a man, albeit a man who had the body and invulnerability of a god. He was torn deep within. Chiron was reconnecting him with his mortality, in essence, his humanity. He needed to be acquainted with grief, for grief can be a powerful catalyst for much needed change and healing. What was sown by Chiron would surface later in Achilles' life, during the war at Troy, when he wept with king Priam over the needless death of his one-time adversary, Hector. The tears he cried proved cathartic and led to a metamorphosis in the hero's inner life.

Athena

Athena was the goddess of wisdom and the patron deity of Athens. She consistently appears in the form of the mythic guide in many an ancient tale. She plays the role of what is sometimes referred to in educational circles today as an "invisible mentor." This means that she was not a guide who journeyed alongside the hero; rather she manifested herself at critical points in the journey in order to kindle hope or instill wisdom.

Prior to Odysseus' departure for Troy, Athena spoke to him about his destiny, affirming that the gods had chosen him for this adventure. Then she left as suddenly as she had come, leaving the king to ponder her words. In essence, she gave him a vision of something larger than himself, something that we must strive to do for those in our sphere of influence.

She later disguised herself as an old friend of Odysseus, named Mentor (hence the word "mentor" today), so that she could impart wisdom and courage to Telemachus. The young prince was living in a home that had become a virtual prison due to the invasion of his mother's suitors. Athena roused him to verbally confront the suitors and led him to the inner knowledge that he was the true heir to the throne of Ithaca. She showed Telemachus the way out of the dungeon that had incarcerated his heart. Shortly thereafter, she disappeared, allowing the prince to grapple with his woes from a place of personal strength.

Finally, Athena attempted to teach the prideful weaver, Arachne, the way of humility. She concealed herself as an old woman and cautioned Arachne not to offend the gods with her arrogant boasts. Despite the warnings of the goddess, Arachne dared the gods to surpass her beautiful craftwork. Unveiling her splendor, Athena accepted the challenge and wove an extraordinary piece, depicting her victory over Poseidon and her rise to the ultimate position of authority in Athens. Arachne responded by producing a beautiful, yet blasphemous piece showing the adulterous relationships of the gods. Athena, brimming over with indignation, smashed the tapestry with the fury of a war-divinity. Arachne, in shame and terror, hanged herself from a tree. Feeling pity for the brash Arachne, Athena transformed her rope into a web and Arachne into a spider.

How might this be a gift from a mentor or teacher to a student? Well, spiders symbolized the power to construct a life, one strand at a time. What Athena bequeathed to Arachne was a metaphorical death and a deep transformation. Arachne now was given the power to rebuild her life, one choice at a time. Sometimes the students we teach need to be allowed to hit rock bottom, or in other words, feel the full weight of the consequences of their choices. This fall allows them to learn how to pick themselves up and rebuild from the wreckage, a tool that will serve them well in life, thus a blessing.

The Departure of the Mentor

Grief can be a gift. As teachers and mentors, it is important that we teach our young people that grief is how we move on. They may see it in our own losses or experience it in their personal tragedies. Chiron is inadvertently wounded by a poisoned arrow fired by one of his own students, the mighty Heracles. Pierced by the deadly arrow, Chiron demonstrates nobility by agreeing to sacrifice his immortality for the release of Prometheus, the titan who brought fire, symbolizing illumination, to mankind. He showed mercy and grace in the midst of his own agony. This was a testimony to all who knew him.

Chiron gave up his life for Prometheus, whose name means "forethought." This means it was no coincidence. It was planned. It was intentional, for it is crucial that the mentor or teacher ultimately leave his students. The ones being mentored eventually need to be on their own, without the guidance of their master. This allows the young to come to a realization that the teachings of their mentor now dwell within. The absence of the teacher leads the student toward the realization that they have truly learned the lessons taught. The mentor relationship is not one of permanence and it is essential that it not be.

Athena was constantly parting ways with the hero or heroines of Greek mythology. She would appear at critical junctures in the story to grant wisdom and rouse passion for life, then disappear, leaving the hero so that he may learn to walk without the aide of his guide.

This archetype has been established in countless myths and stories throughout the ages. Obi Wan Kenobi left Luke Skywalker, but his teachings about the Force remained with the young Jedi. The prideful Indra is taught a lesson in humility by a Brahmin boy, and then is left to consider the meaning of both a spiritual life and a temporal life. At varying points in the story, Gandalf departs the Fellowship, requiring them to face many grave dangers on their own and draw upon deep reserves so that they might complete the quest set out before them.

More recently, the private letters of Mother Theresa reveal that following years of feeling powerfully connected to God, she wandered through a half century of darkness feeling like Christ had left her. She struggled with her calling and faced deep-seated doubts about her faith. However, through this "dark night of the soul" she learned to walk by faith and discipline rather than by the swirling tides of emotion.

Like Chiron and Athena, when we work with students, we are bound to become a sacrifice in one form or another. You may pour your heart and soul into a young person, only to find that they still choose a destructive path. Hurtful words may sting and wound. We must remember that we are often encountering lives in turmoil, in much the same way that these mythic teachers found many of their pupils. The grace we show those we mentor will have tremendous effects and can lead to greater freedom as time goes on.

Athena's roles as mentor and teacher in myth immortalize her imagery evermore as a guide and purveyor of wisdom. In honor of the heroic Chiron, Zeus forever placed him in the night sky as the constellation, Centaurus. If you peer into the heavens, you can see Centaurus firing an arrow at the eagle, Aquilla. This was the eagle that tormented Prometheus day and night until Chiron provided for his freedom. Teachers, who fight for the hearts of the young, despite the hardship, the lack of sleep, and all the myriad tribulations they can face, will ultimately be remembered well and their words and deeds will continue to be a blessing to others long after they are gone.

Jay D'Ambrosio, M.A. is an ancient history teacher and the author of Rethinking Adolescence: Using Story to Navigate Life's Uncharted Years (Rowman & Littlefield Education, 2006), as well as "Egyptian Influence on Early Israelite Literature" (Aeon: A Journal of Myth, Science, and Ancient History, 2005). He also serves on the History Department Advisory Board at Slippery Rock University. You can learn more about this topic by visiting Jay's blog at http://eteaching101.blogspot.com.