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 two horns of the Bisalta

LEGEND

Main element: Earth

Language of the original: Italian

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

The Bisalta mountain is one of the nearest and most visible mountains looking from Cuneo. The inhabitants of Cuneo or the towns nearby can clearly see it and the mountain has become a symbol of the area.
Mountain Bisalta, 2231 m above sea level, composed by two peaks called "Besimauda" and "Bric Rosso".

Somewhere between the hills that can be seen from the town of Cuneo is the mountain called the Bisalta, also known as Besimauda. It has a particular shape with two peaks, but this has not always been the case!

They say that one evening Baptist, a shepherd from a nearby valley, wanted to go back home across the mountains. This turned out to be very difficult for him because he had drunk too much at the inn in the village and was feeling more and more shaky. The moonlight showed him the way: he managed not to fall and could see the path. But at a certain point the moon hid herself behind the mountain and it got very dark. The poor Baptist couldn’t see anything any more. He just walked at random, until he realised that he was at the edge of a crevasse. The shepherd stopped and began calling the mountain names: “Bloody mountain! I would give my soul to the devil to make you fall down!" At that moment the devil appeared, laughing. The devil offered to flatten the mountain and bring back the moonlight in exchange for a simple signature on a ready-made contract. Baptist, like most peasants, could not read not write and besides at that moment it was terribly dark and he could see nothing. The devil, wanting to show his power, made the earth tremble and divided the peak of the mountain into two parts. The moonlight returned and showed Baptist the way.

The shepherd decided to make a deal with the devil and traced a cross on the contract as his signature. The devil, seeing the cross on the contract, cursed and disappeared within a second.

Baptist was able to find his way home. Although the mountain hadn’t been flattened, the moon shone between the two peaks. These two peaks of Bisalta remind us that the Lord lets the devil do some things, but not too many.

I due corni della Bisalta

LEGGENDA

Elemento: Terra

Lingua originale: Italiano

Per avere ulteriori informazioni sulla leggenda, accedi alla piattaforma 4elements da qui.

Tra i monti visibili dalla cittadina di Cuneo spicca la Bisalta, anche chiamata Besimauda. La sua forma è particolare perché ha due grandi punte, ma non è sempre stata così!

Si racconta che una sera Battista, un pastore di una valle vicino, volesse rientrare a casa costeggiando le montagne, ma il rientro era per lui davvero difficile dato che aveva bevuto un po’ troppo nell’osteria del paese e non si sentiva ben fermo sulle gambe. La luce della luna lo aiutava nel cammino: riusciva a non inciampare e a vedere bene il sentiero da percorrere. Ad un certo punto, però, la luna si nascose dietro la montagna e tutto diventò buio. Il povero Battista non vedeva più nulla, continuava a camminare a casaccio, finché non capì di essere sull’orlo di un crepaccio. Il pastore si fermò e iniziò a imprecare contro la montagna che nascondeva la luna e disse “Maledetta montagna! Darei l’anima al diavolo per farti inghiottire dall’inferno!”. In quell’istante comparve all’improvviso il diavolo in persona ridendo. Il diavolo propose a Battista di spianare la montagna in modo da tornare ad avere la luce della luna in cambio di una semplice firma su un contratto già bell’e pronto. Battista, come molti contadini, non sapeva leggere e scrivere e oltretutto in quel momento era tutto terribilmente buio e non poteva vedere nulla. Il diavolo, intanto, per dare prova della sua potenza, fece tremare la terra e divise la punta della montagna in due e la luna tornò a far luce sulla via.

Il pastore decise di scendere a patti con il diavolo e tracciò una croce come firma. Appena il diavolo vide il segno della Redenzione sul contratto, bestemmiò e in un attimo scomparve.

Battista ritrovò la strada di casa e la montagna non venne spianata. Le due punte della Bisalta ricordano che il Signore lascia fare delle cose al diavolo, ma non lo lascia strafare!

Gatto Chanu T. (2010), Leggende e racconti popolari del Piemonte, Newton Compton Editori, Roma.