4 ELEMENTS

Project logo
Improve the foreign language learning and intercultural competences of adults through e-learning

The project

FOUR ELEMENTS is an initiative called to raise awareness and appreciation of the importance of culture and heritage as well as to train educators working with adult learners who want to improve their skills and competences necessary in today’s EU labour market.

The project will take advantage of the potential of the common European cultural values associated to the 4 elements earth, water, air and fire) to empower adults to improve their digital, foreign language and intercultural competences.

The partnership expects to develop and deliver innovative teaching materials presented in a culturally accessible E-book consisting of European legends and stories – giving visibility to the underlying common EU values and principles, especially adapted to learners with special needs.

To achieved such objectives, partners will develop:

An interactive map: a collection of legends and stories related to earth, water, air and fire, in different EU countries.

Digital Books with national legends and stories related to the four elements.

Methodological recommendations for adult educators.

To find more information, access the Four Elements platform here.

Digital books

The nations of Europe all have rich cultures of myth and folklore which give the different regions their particular individual flavour. Here we have grouped traditional stories from Belgium, Estonia, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Spain according to the four elements: earth, air, wind and fire.

They are specially adapted to adult learners and can be used to develop language or ICT skills among your students while enhancing intercultural understanding.

Alongside the stories, this digital book contains interactive exercises and is in Easy Read format. All the material in it can be downloaded and printed. Teachers and trainers will find tips and suggestions for how to use it on the Recommendations section of this site.

European partnership

Four Elements is an Erasmus+ KA204 project designed to highlight the importance of culture and heritage at European Union level. It aims to train educators working with adult learners to enable them to acquire the skills and competences, including linguistic and digital skills and competences, required in the European labour market.

The project is coordinated by : CVO EduKempen (Belgium). The partnership also includes DomSpain Consulting (Spain), The Central Library of Võru County (Estonia), Les Apprimeurs (France), Istituto dei Sordi di Torino (Italy), Slovenian Third Age University (Slovenia), MyArtist (Greece).

Erasmus+ project

Erasmus logo The European Commission's support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.

The Retribution of Jack Frost

FAIRY TALE

Main element: Air

Language of the original: Estonian

Date of origin: 1964

Author: August Jakobson

To find more information about the legend, access the Four Elements platform here.

One half of the village lay on low and flat terrain, the other half spread on the gravelly slopes of drumlin landscape. The plain was rich and fertile, the meagre soil of the drumlin country grew puny crops. The lowlanders were stuck-up and noisy, the highlanders spoke little and wore a constant troubled look.

One summer, the lowland farmers were sitting in the local inn drinking whiskey and biting sausage to it. And they had every reason for feasting: there was a promise of a good harvest that year!

Boasting of their riches, the farmers were all in high spirits. There entered an old man dressed in tatters and asked the innkeeper whether he could give him shelter for the night. As the landlord was doing good business, he, too, turned up his nose and snapped haughtily over his shoulder, “No, I can’t.”

“Right, no shelter for a tramp like this!” the chorus of the rich farmers joined in.

“Do let me stay overnight! You can see I’m old and tired, where could I go at this late hour?” the tattered old man begged.

“No, I can’t,” the landlord repeated even more firmly.

And the rich farmers clamoured, “No! No shelter, no shakedown for him!”

“Don’t put him up for the night!”

“Kick the scamp out!”

“Out with him!”

The old man turned resignedly and made for the door, looked back on the threshold and said in a threatening tone,

“Just you wait, you niggards! You’ll have reason to remember Jack Frost.”

So saying the man left the inn and went to that part of village which was situated on the slopes of the gravelly hills. The fist door he knocked at was hospitably opened to him.

Taking his leave in the morning the old man said gratefully,

“Best thanks, brother! And best thanks to your neighbours, too. I bet they would have given me a shakedown and fed me the same as you.”

“Sure enough. Because they’re no stone-hearted robbers any of them,” the farmer rejoined.

“Well, eh… And may your crops grow thick and tall, taller than the tallest man!” the old man said.

The lowland farmers continued their feast in the inn until small hours when the next day broke. But the moment the first rays of the sun penetrated through the window it grew bitterly cold in the room.

At first the innkeeper alone began to shiver, while the conceited farmers laughed and mocked at him ruthlessly. By and by, however, even the greatest mockers desisted – all of a sudden they, too, were seized by a violent fit of shivering. There was nothing for it but to run home as fast as their legs would carry them, and seek warmth under heaps of sheepskin coats. Finally they stopped shivering with cold, but they had to brace themselves for an even greater shock. The thing was that the unforeseen late frost had killed all the crops on the fields of the plain, all to the last blade and shoot. All their grain had gone to the granaries of Jack Frost, while the crops of the highland farmers looked a lot thicker and taller than before!

So after all the haughty flat-land farmers came to understand that in this world one did not fare well with evil and envy.

Külmataadi kättemaks

MUINASJUTT

Element: Õhk

Originaalkeel: Eesti

Pärinemise aeg: 1964

Autor: August Jakobson

Rohkem infot legendi kohta leiad 4 elemendi veebilehelt siit.

Üks pool külast oli tasane lausmaa, teine pool - kruusaküngastega, nõlvakuline vooremaa. Lausmaa oli rammus ja viljakandev, vooremaa nõlvakulise maa lahjadel põldudel jäi aga kõik igerikuks. Kuidas olid põllud ja missugust saaki nad andsid, olid ka inimesed ise - lausmaa omad olid lärmakad ja upsakad, küngastel asuvate talude omad sõnaahtrad ja alati murelikud. Kord ilusal suvisel pühapäeval istusid lausmaa talude peremehed hulgakesi kõrtsis, jõid viina, sõid teevorsti kõrvale, aina naersid ning sumisesid: mis viga pidu pidada, kui viljasaak tõotab jälle hea tulla! Kui oma jõukust ülistavate lausmaatalude peremehed juba kõige lõbusamas meeleolus olid, astus kõrtsi katkenud ning lapitud vammuses taat ja palus kõrtsipidajalt öömaja. Kõrtsipapal oli täna hea teenistus, ta ajas sellepärast nina püsti ja viskas upsakalt üle õla: "Ei saa!"

"Ära anna, jah, igale maailmahulgusele öömaja!" kisasid jõukad peremehed kooris.

"Anna ikka! Näed ise - olen vana ja väsinud inimene, kuhu ma enam nii hilisel tunnil lähen!" palus katkenud ja lapitud vammuses taat.

"Ei saa!" kordas kõrtsipapa veelgi kindlamalt.

Ja jõukad peremehed kisasid jälle kooris kaasa:

"Ära anna talle öömaja, jah!"

"Ära anna, ära anna, jah!"

"Viska see kaltsakas välja, jah!"

"Viska ta välja, jah!"

"Viska välja, jah!"

Taat ei käinud enam peale ja pöördus ümber. Läks ukse poole, peatus aga veel künnisel, ütles ähvardades: "Oodake mul, kitsipungad! Küll te Külma-Matsi veel meeles peate!"

Nende sõnade juures lahkus lapitud vammuses taat kohe kõrtsist ning läks läbi lausmaa küla sellesse ossa, mis asus kehvadel küngastel. Ja juba esimene sealse talu peremees võttis ta lahkesti vastu.

Hommikul lahkudes ütles taat tänulikult: "Ole sa terve, vennas, ja olgu terved su naabridki - küllap oleksid ka nemad mind oma katuse alla võtnud, mulle pala leibagi pakkunud."

"Küllap, küllap, egas nemadki kiviste südametega teeröövlid ole," arvas ka peremees.

"Nojah… Ja kasvagu teil vili edaspidi nagu müür, üle pea pikemalegi mehele!" hüüdis taat.

Lausmaa talude peremehed pidutsesid kõrtsis kuni noore päeva alguseni. Aga just siis, kui esimesed päikesekiired akna taha ilmusid, hakkasid kõik järsku kanget külma tundma.

Kõigepealt pistis lõdisema kõrtsipapa üksi ja uhked peremehed naersid ning pilkasid teda kurjal kombel. Siis aga kadus pilkamisiha suurematelgi irvhammastel: järsku hakkasid värisema ka nemad. Ega saanud enam teisiti, kui igaüks pistis tulistjalu kodu poole liduma, et soojade kasukate alla pugeda.

Külmavärinad läksid peremeestel viimaks küll mööda, kohe selgus aga teine häda. Nimelt oli ootamatu öökülm kõik lausmaa põllud tühjaks laastanud - võetud oli kõik, mis veel vähegi võtta andis. Ja vaatasid ning kratsisid kukalt jõukad peremehed: nende saak puha külma salvedesse läinud, küngastel asuvate talude vili oleks aga nagu palju tihedamaks ning kõrgemaks kasvanud!

Ja eks siis lausmaa talude upsakad isandad viimaks taibanudki: kurjuse ja kadedusega maailmas kaugele ei jõua.

Jakobson, A. (1992). Külmataadi kättemaks. Tallinn: Perioodika.