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.

Till Eulenspiegel and Lamme Goedzak

LEGEND

Main element: Earth

Language of the original: Dutch

Date of origin: 15th century

Origin of the legend: The first known chapbook on Till Eulenspiegel was printed in c. 1510–1512 in Strasbourg.

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

Belgian author Charles De Coster gives Till Eulenspiegel a girlfriend, Nele, and a best friend, Lamme Goedzak in 1867. His novel follows many historic events in the Eighty Years' War.

Till Eulenspiegel is a Flemish/Belgian folk hero who uses his intelligence and comedy to fight against the Spanish occupation during the 16th century. In this story Till Eulenspiegel also gets a new background. He is born in the Flemish village of Damme on the same day as Phillip II, the Spanish king who later will lead the Eighty Year's War against the Netherlands. Eulenspiegel's father is Claes, who is later burned at the stake by the Spanish occupiers, and his mother is named Soetkin. She later turns mad because of Claes' death. All these events motivate Eulenspiegel to fight against the Spanish oppressors. He is also given a girlfriend, Nele, and a gluttonous but jolly sidekick named Lamme Goedzak. Eulenspiegel is seen as the incarnation of the spirit of Flanders, Lamme as that of the stomach of Flanders, and Nele as that of the heart of Flanders. In a classic Eulenspiegel story Till is walking the tightrope for money, when suddenly some spectators cut the rope, causing him to fall in the river across which he had tied the rope. He climbs ashore, tells the audience he enjoyed the joke and informs them that he will make his rope trick more complicated the next day. Out of curiosity the spectators return again the following day to see what he will do. Till then explains to them that he will climb the rope while holding two bags full of shoes. But since he hasn't got that many shoes he asks the spectators to give him one of their shoes for the act. Everyone does so, but once he is on the rope Till threatens to throw the shoes in the water if the audience doesn't pay him double what they paid him the day before. The frightened spectators pay up and Till disappears, after throwing the shoes randomly in the crowd, causing the spectators to fight for their possessions.

Tijl Uilenspiegel en Lamme Goedzak

LEGENDE

Element: Aarde

Originele taal: Nederlands

Datum van ontstaan: 15e eeuw

Oorsprong van de legende: The first known chapbook on Till Eulenspiegel was printed in c. 1510–1512 in Strasbourg.

Om meer informatie te vinden over de legende, ga langs deze weg naar het 4elements platform.

Tijl Uilenspiegel was een Vlaamse/Belgische volksheld die zijn intelligentie en humor gebruikte voor de strijd tegen de Spaanse bezetting in de 16de eeuw. In dit verhaal kreeg Tijl Uilenspiegel ook een nieuwe achtergrond. Hij werd geboren in het Vlaamse dorp Damme op dezelfde dag als de Spaanse koning Phillip II die later de Tachtigjarige Oorlog zou leiden tegen de Nederlanden. De vader van Uilenspiegel is Claes, die later zou verbrand worden door toedoen van de Spaanse bezetters, en zijn moeder heet Soetkin. Zij zou later gek worden door de dood van Claes. Dit motiveert Uilenspiegel om te strijden tegen de Spaanse onderdrukkers. Hij kreeg ook een vriendin, Nele, en de gulzige maar vrolijke handlanger genaamd Lamme Goedzak. Uilenspiegel wordt gezien als de verpersoonlijking van de geest van Vlaanderen, Lamme als de maag van Vlaanderen en Nele als het hart van Vlaanderen. In een klassiek Uilenspiegel verhaal was Tijl aan het koorddansen boven een rivier om geld te verdienen. Plots sneden enkele toeschouwers het touw door zodat hij in de rivier viel. Hij kwam terug aan land en vertelde de mensen dat hij de grap wel leuk vond en hij zei dat hij de volgende dag een moeilijker trucje met een touw zou doen. Uit nieuwsgierigheid kwamen de toeschouwers de volgende dag kijken. Tijl legde hen uit dat hij op het koord zou dansen met 2 zakken vol met schoenen. Omdat hij niet zoveel schoenen had, vroeg hij aan de toeschouwers om elk één schoen aan hem te geven voor de voorstelling. Iedereen gaf één schoen aan Tijl, maar toen hij op het touw stond, dreigde hij ermee om de schoenen in het water te gooien als ze niet het dubbele wilden geven dan wat ze de vorige dag hadden gegeven. De bange toeschouwers gaven hem het geld, Tijl gooide de schoenen in het publiek en hij verdween. De groep mensen vocht voor hun schoenen.

Author, Dimitri Goosens. 2015-12-18. Fans of Flanders: once upon a time: Till Eulenspiegel.