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.

Water sprite in the Bohinj Lake

LEGEND

Main element: Water

Language of the original: Slovenian

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

Superior to all other water animals and also to water fairies or mermaids, water sprites were believed to live in an underwater castle. Slovenian fairy tales describe the castle as a wonderful palace, full of jewels, with halls illuminated by golden fish. Water sprites in Slovenian folklore are related to Poseidon of antiquity or the Roman Neptune, god of water and the sea. People’s imagination provided stories about water sprites living in every stream and in every pond.

Once upon a time there lived a water sprite in the Bohinj lake. He was longing to get married, but no girl dared join him in his wet and humid underwater castle, although it was full of jewels and large, bright halls. Finally, he kidnapped a young and kind laundress who was washing linen in the lake. They got married and his wife gave birth to three children. He took good care of her, and loved her dearly. Nevertheless, she was getting ever more depressive and homesick. When she asked him again to let her go, he agreed, but on condition that they split their children into two equal halves. What happened next, nobody knows.

Podvodni bog v Bohinjskem jezeru

LEGENDA

Element: Voda

Jezik izvirnika: slovenščina

Več o legendi lahko preberete tej povezavi.

Nekoč je v Bohinjskem jezeru živel podvodni Bog. Želel se je poročiti, a ni ga bilo dekleta, ki bi si upalo živeti v njegovem mokrem in vlažnem podvodnem gradu, četudi je bilo tam vse polno draguljev in bile so svetle velike dvorane. Nazadnje jo je ukradel, njo, mlado, prijazno perico, ki je prala perilo v jezeru. Tri otroke mu je rodila. On je lepo skrbel zanjo, a žena je kljub temu bila vsak dan bolj otožna. Naj jo pusti oditi, je prosila. Pustil jo bo oditi, a pod pogojem, da si otroke razdelita na dve enaki polovici. Kaj je bilo po slej, ne ve nihče.

Kunaver, D. (1998). Slovene Folk Tales. Ljubljana. Samozaložba.