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.

Jean the bear

LEGEND

Main element: Fire

Language of the original: French

Date of origin: XVth century

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

Jean the bear is the most famous name given to a legendary and hybrid creature half human and half bear. He’s provided with superhuman strength which makes him almost invincible. Jean the bear is the most popular legend of the Pyrenean mythology. The first apparition of this character goes back to the 15th century on several paintings and engravings. In the Pyrenees and during centuries, bears were feared by villagers.

A young woman was kidnapped by a gigantic bear while she was walking through the woods. The bear held her captive in its cave. A few months later, the woman, who was pregnant, delivered a half-bear half-human baby she called Jean de l'Ours. When the child grew up and became tall and strong enough, he helped his mother escape from the cave by lifting the huge rock that was blocking the way out. Jean de l’Ours and his mother returned to the village, and he started a new life amongst the people there.

Jean de l’Ours went to school but one day he punched another student. When the teacher tried to punish him, Jean de l’Ours threw him out the window. The half- bear child got expelled from school. Then, he started an apprenticeship in a forge: an art he mastered quickly. Several years later, Jean de l’Ours decided to travel across France, and he forged an unbreakable iron cane to help him during his journey.

On the road, he met three extremely strong young boys who decided to come with him. After several days’ walking, they discovered a mysterious castle and decided to settle in it. However, in the castle lived a giant who beat all of Jean de l’Ours’ friends. Only Jean de l’Ours managed to defeat the giant thanks to his unbreakable iron cane.

Then, Jean de l'Ours explored the entire castle. He noticed that the floor of one of the rooms sounded hollow. Under the floor, he found a big hole from which he could hear screaming. The friends all decided to go and see what was down the hole but only Jean de l’Ours was brave enough to climb all the way down. At the bottom of the hole Jean de l’Ours met a fairy who told him there were three rooms in the tunnel. In two of them were demons and in the last one lived three beautiful princesses.

Jean de l’Ours fought all the demons and helped the princesses climb back up to the castle.

Each princess gave him a sphere; one was decorated with pearls, one with diamonds and one with emeralds. However, when Jean de l’Ours tried to join his friends, the three men cut the rope he was using, and he fell into the hole again. The fairy helped Jean de l'Ours find his way out of the tunnel where he ran into his former companions. Very angry, he chased them out of the castle. The three beautiful princesses went back to their kingdom and Jean de l’Ours continued his journey.

Some time later, Jean de l’Ours went to the princesses’ kingdom where he started to work for a blacksmith. The king asked them to forge three spheres decorated with pearls, diamonds and emeralds.

Jean de l’Ours agreed and a few days later he gave to the king the three balls the princesses offered him years ago. The king, very satisfied with Jean de l’Ours’ work, offered him in marriage the youngest and most beautiful of his three daughters.

Jean de l'Ours

LÉGENDE

Élément : Feu

Langue d'origine : Français

Date d'origine : XVe siècle

Vous pouvez retrouver plus d'informations sur cette légende sur le site du projet ici.

Jean de l'Ours est le nom le plus célèbre donné à une créature légendaire et hybride moitié homme et moitié ours. Il est doté d'une force surhumaine qui le rend presque invincible. Jean de l'Ours est la légende la plus populaire de la mythologie pyrénéenne. La première apparition de ce personnage remonte au XVe siècle sur plusieurs peintures et gravures. Dans les Pyrénées et pendant des siècles, les ours étaient craints par les villageois.

Une jeune fille est enlevée par un ours gigantesque alors qu’elle traversait les bois. L’ours l’emmena dans sa grotte et la garda prisonnière pendant des années. La jeune femme y mit au monde un enfant à la fois ours et homme qu’elle nomma Jean de l’Ours. Quand l’enfant était devenu assez grand et fort, il aida sa mère à s’échapper en soulevant l’énorme pierre qui bloquait l’entrée de la grotte. Jean de l’Ours et sa mère retournèrent au village et l’enfant entama alors une nouvelle vie parmi les hommes.

Jean de l’Ours fut envoyé à l’école, mais un jour, il donna un coup de poing à l’un de ses camarades. Le professeur lui fit des reproches et Jean de l’Ours le jeta par la fenêtre. Renvoyé de l’école, Jean de l’Ours commença un apprentissage chez un forgeron et devint extrêmement doué dans cet art. Plusieurs années plus tard, il décida de partir parcourir la France. Il se forgea alors une canne en fer incassable pour l’aider dans son périple.

En chemin, il rencontra trois garçons extrêmement forts. Ensemble, ils découvrirent un château mystérieux et décidèrent de s’y installer. Ce château était habité par un géant, qui terrassa un par un les amis de Jean de l’Ours. Seul Jean de l’Ours réussit, grâce à sa canne de fer, à vaincre le géant.

Lors de sa visite du château, il remarqua que le sol de l’une des salles sonnait creux sous sa canne. Il y découvrit un trou d’où provenaient des hurlements. À l’aide d’une corde, chaque garçon essaya tout à tour de descendre, mais tous prirent peur et abandonnèrent. Seul Jean de l’Ours fut assez courageux pour descendre jusqu’au fond. Il y rencontra alors une fée qui lui expliqua que dans ce tunnel se trouvaient trois chambres. Deux d’entre elles abritaient des diables et dans la dernière vivaient trois belles princesses.

Après avoir combattu les diables, Jean de l’Ours se rendit dans la chambre des trois princesses, puis les aida à remonter. Pour le remercier, chacune d’elles lui offrit une sphère somptueuse ornée de perles, de diamants et d’émeraudes. Quand Jean de l’Ours remonta à son tour, ses trois compagnons coupèrent la corde et il se retrouva coincé dans le tunnel.

Grâce à la fée, Jean de l’Ours réussit à sortir du tunnel et tomba nez à nez avec ses anciens camarades. Très en colère, il les chassa et reprit sa route tandis que les princesses rentrèrent dans leur royaume.

Poursuivant son périple, Jean de l’Ours arriva un jour au royaume des trois princesses où il rencontra un forgeron qui le prit à son service. Le forgeron était menacé de mort par le roi, qui lui demandait de forger trois sphères ornées de perles, de diamants et d’émeraudes. Jean de l’Ours accepta et quelques jours plus tard, il donna au roi les trois boules ornées de perles, de diamants et d'émeraude que les princesses lui avaient donné quelques années auparavant. Le roi, ravi, lui offrit d’épouser la plus jeune et la plus belle de ses trois filles. Pendant trois mois, ce fut la plus belle fête que le royaume eût jamais connue.

Carnoy, Henri (1861-1930). Contes français. Paris, E. Leroux, 1885.