The mentor relationship is one of the oldest relationships in history. It has its origins in ancient Greece and was mentioned in Homer's Odyssey around the time of 700 B.C. When King Odysseus left his home to fight in the Trojan War, he left his young son in the care of a trusted friend named Mentor. This friend helped the King's son during his formative years while his father was absent. The mentoring relationship has lasted to this day and usually takes the form of a more experienced, wiser or older person helping a younger, less experienced person to grow. Mentoring often includes adults working with children, but it is also commonly found in the workplace or in the educational arena. The role of the mentor is to help the mentee through various stages of growth, including personal, professional, emotional, and academic development. The relationship can include numerous degrees of involvement and has been shown to be a vital part of providing meaningful success for first year teachers. The best mentoring relationships are the ones where both parties feel that they are getting value from the interaction. Mentors may feel needed and professionally invigorated, while mentees feel supported and helped through a maze of new experiences.