In the Book The Legend of King Arthur Merlin, the father figure to Arthur, helps him by letting him retrieve Excalibur from the rock. This in turn fulfilled the prophecy that whoever retrieved the sword from the stone would become the king of England. In the book The Hobbit Gandalf the Grey, protector of the hobbits, helps Bilbo and thirteen dwarves regain their lost treasurer from smog the dragon. In The Hobbit Gandalf is protective of all hobbits, loves them, and he also nurtures them. Over all Gandalf is a father figure that all hobbits can look up to.
A father figure could be defined as some one who sets a good example, some one who protects his children, or just some one who can be looked up to. A true fath