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 Devil's Hole

TALE

Main element: Earth

Language of the original: Catalan

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

Once upon a time, in the town of Falgars, in the forest of Cortiella, a greedy old knight gathered all his coins and gold together next to a tomb he prepared for himself, as he did not want to separate from his wealth even after death. On a cold and wet, the old knight –he was already 90 years old- got ill and died a few days after. He did not have offspring but he did have a goddaughter, Bepa, who was a farmer friend’s daughter. He had only given her a 5-peso coin when she turned fifteen; this was the only thing he had given to someone in his whole life. Bepa, however, instead of keeping the coin for herself, used the coin to pay their labourers. When the knight died, she inherited a piece of land, where there was supposed to be a hidden treasure that nobody was able to find. Every night, people could hear a sound of chains coming from the underground. One dark night, a skeleton knight riding a horse’s skeleton came out of the tomb and appeared in the middle of the forest. From that point on, all people around that area started to talk about “the devil’s hole”. One day, the spirit visited Bepa and told her that the old knight had been banned to go to hell because he had given that one coin to her, and that he was doomed to wander around as a lost soul until his treasure was unearthed and distributed amongst the poor. Bepa found the treasure and did what the spirit had told her and the knight of the Clot was never seen anymore.

El Clot de l'Infern

CUENTO

Elemento: Tierra

Idioma original: Catalán

Para más información sobre la leyenda, accede a la plataforma de 4element aquí.

Érase una vez, en la ciudad de Falgars, en el bosque de Cortiella, un viejo caballero codicioso puso todas sus monedas y oro junto a la tumba que preparó para sí mismo, ya que no quería separarse de sus riquezas ni siquiera cuando muriese. En una noche muy fría y húmeda, el caballero anciano, que ya tenía 90 años, enfermó y murió después de unos días. No tenía descendencia, excepto por Bepa, su ahijada, que era la hija de un granjero amigo. Él solo le dio una moneda de 5 pesos cuando cumplió quince años. Fue lo único que le dio a alguien en toda su vida. Sin embargo, Bepa no se lo guardó, sino que usó la moneda para pagar a los trabajadores. Cuando el caballero murió, ella heredó su tierra, pero nadie pudo encontrar el tesoro en ella escondido. Sin embargo, cada noche, se escuchaba un sonido de cadenas provenientes del subsuelo y una noche, el esqueleto de un caballero que montaba el esqueleto de un caballo, saliendo de la tumba apareció en el bosque. Por eso la gente empezó a hablar sobre el agujero del diablo. Un día, el espíritu visitó a Bepa y él le dijo que no había ido al infierno gracias a la moneda que le había dado a ella cuando estaba vivo, pero que estaba condenado a vagar como un alma en pena hasta que su tesoro fuera desenterrado y distribuido entre los pobres. Bepa lo hizo y el caballero del Clot no fue visto nunca más.

Festa.cat. Festes Majors de Catalunya. Cultura Catalana Poble a Poble.