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.

Waterman

MYTH

Main element: Water

Language of the original: Slovenian

Date of origin: 1830

Author: France Prešeren (1800-1849), Slovenian’s romantic poet.
Slovenian poet France Prešeren borrowed the motive of this ballad in Johann Weikhard von Valvasor’s The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola. Most probably, the motive also reflects his own experience. Waterman was first published in 1830 in Kranjska čebelica, Volume 1. In 1985 Jelka Reichman illustrated the story of the conceited Urška in her picture book that has recently been published in miniature form.

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

Once upon a time, there was a beautiful maiden called Urška. She was bright as the morning star and beautiful as the sun. Though in those days Ljubljana had many beauties, there was no maiden, no married woman, no single woman as beautiful as Urška. Many young men were ready to give Urška their heart, but she wanted to have an endless number of suitors. She attracted them, trapped them and rejected them. She knew how to promise and how to refuse, and how to be pleasant and how to be proud. But finally she met one she couldn’t resist.

It was on a Sunday afternoon at the Old Market Square. The trumpets and fiddles and zithers all played. Young people danced in the old linden-tree’s shade and Urška was their queen. For a long time she did not want to join the dancers. The sun was setting, the shadows were falling. It was seven o’ clock when Urška finally decided to dance. She chose a handsome young man and sent him a look of love. When the young man saw this he approached the maid: “Do you wish to dance?” he asked. “Where the Sava’s swift waters with the Danube’s are stirred, I first heard of your great beauty this morning. I have not danced yet. So, come, waste no time now, just give me your hand. The sun is going down and the dance soon will end!”

The handsome young man gave Urška his hand and they danced like the wind. They did not even touch the floor. The bystanders stared. The wind whistled around, the sky was threatening loaded with clouds. “Just speedily, speedily make your feet hasten,” cried the young man and they disappeared into the dark waters.

Povodni mož

MIT

Element: Voda

Jezik izvirnika: slovenščina

Datum nastanka: 1830

Avtor: France Prešeren (1800-1849), Slovenian’s romantic poet.
Slovenian poet France Prešeren borrowed the motive of this balad in Johann Weikhard von Valvasor’s The Glory of the Duchy of Carniola. Most probably, the motive also reflects his own experience. Waterman was first published in 1830 in Kranjska čebelica, Volume 1. In 1985 Jelka Reichman illustrated the story of the conceited Urška in her picture book that has recently been published in miniature form.

Več o legendi lahko preberete tej povezavi.

Nekoč je živela prelepa deklica Urška po imenu. Bila je svetlolsa kot zvezda danica in lepa kot sonce. Četudi je v tistih časih v Ljubljani bilo veliko lepotic, enake Urški bilo ni nobene. Niiti ena dekle, niti ena poročena žena, niti ena samica ji ni bila enaka. Mladeniči so Urški ponujali svoje srce, ona pa si je želela imeti nešteto snubcev. Pritegnila jih je, jih omrežila in zavrgla. Znala je obljubiti in zavrniti, biti prijetna in biti ponosna.Toda nazadnje je našla nekoga, ki se mu ni znala upreti.

Bilo je nedeljsko popoldne. Na Starem mestnem trgu so pele trobente in gosli in cimbale. Mladi so plesali v senci stare lipe. Njih kraljica je Urška bila. Dolgo ji ni bilo do plesa. Sonce je že zahajalo, sence so se že spustile nizko, ko se je Urška pričela odpravljati na ples. Izbrala je čednega mladeniča in zaljubljeno ga je pogledala. Ko je to videl, se ji je mladenič približal: »Al hotla bi z mano plesati?« jo je vprašal. »Kjer bistra se Sava pridruži Donavi, sem danes zjutraj prvič zaslišal o tvoji lepoti. Nisem še plesal. Zato pohiti, ne zgubljaj časa, podaj mi roko«. Sonce zahaja in kmalu bo plesa konec.«

Lepi mladenič je Urški podal roko in zaplesala sta kot bi ju nosil vihar. Nista se dotikala tal. Priče so onemele, veter je zažvižgal, nebo je grozilo pokrito z oblaki« Le hitro, le hitro.« je klical mladenič ko sta izginila v temno vodo.

Preseren.net. (n.d.). France Prešeren : Poezije : Povodni mož.