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 flying carpet

FAIRY TALE

Main element: Air

Language of the original: Italian

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

Monferrato in the Piedmont region is famous because of its richness and its products: wine, cheese, truffle, hazelnuts, fresh pasta and veal.
Among its hills there are many castles and farmhouses and oral legends were born in farmers’ families.
Good cuisine and wonderful lands made and still make this a territory of great value.

A nobleman named Gianfilippo returned to his beloved homeland from the Crusades in the Holy Land. Among the gifts he had brought back with him there was a carpet, a beautiful large Persian carpet that was able to fly! As in the famous Oriental stories, the carpet could fly into the sky, around the world, but it could only transport those who dearly and faithfully loved their spouse. If their love was not sincere, the carpet would first go up really high and then it would throw the traveller off.

Due to this fact perhaps Gianfilippo had not spent a lot of money buying the carpet. It was not clear that anybody would survive flying on this carpet. Finally, somebody was found who knew the secret of the flying carpet but was nevertheless ready to try flying it, whatever the cost might be. Earl Guidobaldo was famous not only for his courage in battles, but also for his much-vaunted love for his wife. And so nothing could stop Guidobaldo from taking off: he flew on the carpet very high in the sky, till he turned into a tiny dot. Then the carpet started shaking. Earl Guidobaldo slipped down from the carpet, thinking of his love for his wife. Guidobaldo fell down and while he was falling down he started t think about a peasant woman with whom he had madly fallen in love a year before. Guidobaldo fell into a river crossing the region of Monferrato and died.

Ashamed, the carpet returned to the castle; it rolled up and hid in a corner. The whole court was speechless and all of them tried to forget what had happened.

Much later, Viscount Ugone came to Gianfilippo’s castle asking about the carpet. Ugone was Guidobaldo’s adversary in tournaments. He had always lost to Guidobaldo, but he wanted to challenge his enemy one last time, notwithstanding Guidobaldo was dead. Ugone was married to Donna Genoveffa and everybody presumed he was a faithful husband since he was terribly ugly! Once again nobody could stop the stubborn man. So, Ugone went up flying on the carpet. The rise was fast - as was the fall. The forec with which Ugone struck the ground was reduced by a big barn and Ugone survived. Then he understood that going to brothels meant betraying his wife.

Again, the carpet returned to the castle, feeling very sorry: it was not its fault if the men were sinful, but the thought of that depressed the carpet anyway.

After a very long time the farmer Giorgione popped up at the castle to do his usual job, which was to bring barrels of his wine for Gianfilippo. He also asked to fly on the carpet. Gianfilippo refused to allow it, but Giorgione was very stubborn and so he obtained his lord’s permission. The carpet with Giorgione lifted off; he saw the hills from a great height and returned to the castle, amazing everybody. How was it possible that a farmer could fly safely, while two noble men had miserably failed to do it?

Giorgione’s answer was an easy one: he had no money to go to brothels and he wasn’t pretty so women didn’t like him. His virtue was poverty.

Gianfilippo was impressed by what the farmer was saying and was ready to grant him a wish. Giorgione only asked not to have to pay so much tax in the future.

Il tappeto volante

FIABA

Elemento: Aria

Lingua originale: Italiano

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

Dalle Crociate in Terrasanta era tornato nelle sue amate terre del Monferrato il nobile Gianfilippo. Tra i doni che aveva portato c’era anche un tappeto, un bellissimo enorme tappeto persiano che sapeva volare! Proprio come è raccontato nelle famose storie orientali. Quel tappeto poteva correre nei cieli e portare in giro per il mondo, ma non trasportare chiunque! Poteva cavalcare quel tappeto solo chi amava veramente e fedelmente il consorte o la consorte. Se l’amore non era sincero, il tappeto prima si portava ad una quota altissima e poi rovesciava l’ospite del viaggio.

Forse era per questa caratteristica che Gianfilippo lo aveva pagato così poco, perché nessuno poteva essere sicuro di tornare dal volo. Eppure c’era qualcuno che, venuto a conoscenza del tappeto, lo volle provare a tutti i costi. Si trattava del Conte Guidobaldo, famoso non solo per il suo valore in battaglia, ma anche per l’amore tanto decantato per la moglie. Fu così che nulla poté fermare Guidobaldo dal decollo: volarono in alto, erano ormai un puntino nel cielo quando il tappeto si fermò e diede una scrollata. Guidobaldo scivolò giù e mentre cadeva gli venne in mente una contadina di cui si era innamorato perdutamente un anno prima. Guidobaldo cadde nel fiume che attraversa il Monferrato e morì.

Il tappeto tornò al castello e, come se fosse vergognato, si arrotolò e si nascose in un angolo. Tutta la corte rimase senza parole e si cercò di dimenticare l’accaduto.

Molto tempo dopo, il Visconte Ugone arrivò al castello di Gianfilippo chiedendo del tappeto. Ugone era sempre stato avversario di Guidobaldo nei tornei e aveva sempre perso, ma voleva sfidare ancora il nemico, anche ora dopo la sua morte. Ugone era sposato con Donna Genoveffa e tutti lo reputavano un marito fedele dato che era brutto da far paura! Di nuovo nessuno fermò la testardaggine dell’uomo e Ugone salì sul tappeto. L’ascesa fu veloce, così come la caduta, ma il colpo fu attutito da un gran fienile e Ugone ne uscì vivo. Da quel momento egli capì che andare nei bordelli voleva dire tradire la moglie.

Il tappeto di nuovo tornò al castello, più triste di prima: non era colpa sua se gli uomini hanno colpe, ma il pensiero lo deprimeva lo stesso.

Passò molto altro tempo e al castello si presentò il contadino Giorgione per fare il suo lavoro, ovvero portare le botti del suo vino, ma anche per chiedere di volare sul tappeto. Gianfilippo non voleva, ma Giorgione più testone insistette e ottenne il permesso. Decollò, vide le sue colline dall’alto e ammirò tutto ciò che poteva. Molte ore dopo rientrò al castello, lasciando tutti stupefatti: come era possibile che un contadino fosse riuscito a volare, mentre due nobili avevano miseramente fallito?

La risposta di Giorgione fu semplice: lui non aveva soldi per andare nei bordelli e non era bello per cui non piaceva alle donne. La sua virtù era proprio la povertà.

Il Conte colpito dalle parole del contadino era pronto ad esaudire un desiderio, ma Giorgione chiese solamente di non mandarlo più in guerra e di dimenticarsi di lui se avesse messo delle nuove tasse.

Dutto A. (curated by) (2002), ieranavolta, storie, leggende, favole della tradizione piemontese, ArabaFenice editore, Boves.