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.

Gaia

MYTH

Main element: Earth

Language of the original: Greek

Origin of the legend: Greek mythology

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

A traditional story about the mother of every creature, the Earth.

Earth was one of the first gods. In Ancient Greece, people thought the Earth was a creature that used to give birth all the time without ever getting tired. They could see on the Earth around them that trees, plants and animals were being born all the time. They thought that they were all Earth’s children and that Earth was a goddess. Earth was the place that life was born and died.

The Ancient Greeks gave three names to Earth: Gaia, Dimitra and Rea. Earth’s most used name was Dimitra.

During the creation of the world, Gaia was made first, before Love and Chaos. Gaia gave birth to the sky (Uranus), the mountains and the sea (Ponto). Uranus and Gaia had twelve children, the Titans.. People that used to live in Attica and Arcadia, thought that were aborigines and that they too were born from Gaia.

Γαία

Μύθος

Στοιχείο: Γη

Γλώσσα του πρωτοτύπου: Ελληνικά

Συγγραφέας: Greek mythology

Για να βρείτε περισσότερες πληροφορίες σχετικά με το μύθο, αποκτήστε πρόσβαση στην πλατφόρμα των 4 στοιχείων εδώ.

Η Γη ήταν μια από τους πρώτους θεούς που αναγνώρισαν οι πρωτόγονοι άνθρωποι. Πίστευαν ότι η Γη ήταν ένα πλάσμα που γεννούσε συνέχεια, χωρίς να κουράζεται. Πάνω στην επιφάνεια της Γης γεννιόντουσαν πάντα καινούργια λουλούδια, δέντρα και ζώα. Πίστευαν ότι ακόμη και οι ίδιοι ήταν παιδιά της Γης. Για όλους αυτούς τους λόγους, οι πρωτόγονοι είχαν θεοποιήσει τη Γη. Η Γη ήταν το μέρος που ξεκινούσε, αλλά και τελείωνε η ζωή.

Οι αρχαίοι Έλληνες είχαν δώσει στη Γη τρία ονόματα: Γαία, Δήμητρα και Ρέα. Το όνομα Δήμητρα ήταν αυτό στο οποίο αναφέρονταν περισσότερο.

Η Γαία προϋπήρχε του Έρωτα και του Χάους κατά την κατασκευή του κόσμου. Η Γαία γέννησε τον Ουρανό, τα Βουνά και τον Πόντο. Μαζί με τον Ουρανό, έκανε τους Τιτάνες. Ο Ουρανός ήταν ο πατέρας τους και η Γη γεννούσε τα παιδιά. Οι κάτοικοι της Αττικής και της Αρκαδίας πίστευαν ότι ήταν γηγενείς και ότι ήταν παιδιά της ίδιας της Γης.

Greek mythology.