Common story

Belgium: exposition

Once upon a time there was a very, very, very frightening snake. He had a green skin and was so huge... He also had shiny teeth. It was just as if he bleached them from time to time. His name was ‘Terry Fying’. He lived in a big dark cave called ‘The Yakobracave’. Everyday he looked up to watch the sky and each time, he saw the white swallow. Her name was Noëmie. She was as white as fresh snow and very pretty. She flew so high and in such a gallant way that the snake became very jealous because of her skilled way of flying. This made the snake suffer a lot. The pain was hardly unbearable. He wished that he could fly just like her, but as he was a snake, this was impossible.

There also was an eagle that lived in the biggest tree in the forest in a huge eyrie. His name was Aladdin. His feathers were dark and they shone in the sun. Aladdin had a strong spirit and he was brave because he had been through a lot of awful situations. The other birds excluded him because he came from a very far and unknown land in the east and because he was black.

Czech Republic: rising actions

It was sunny day. Eagle's friend snake had newborn baby and eagle was invited to baptise him. Aladdin was looking forward to it, but he was also very nervous. During his flight to snake's house he was thinking about it. But suddenly something interruped him from thinking. He looked down and saw a man in a yellow shirt, who was standing in a pack. Eagle knew immediately that the man's behaviour wasn't good and he was doing something bad. Aladdin saw him as he was stealing a woman's handbag and then started to run to his den. Eagle didn't follow him for a long time, because he had to fly in a different direction, but he saw very well the robbers' den, place, where the robbers live together. He was shocked, because he hated crimes and violence, but he couldn't do anything about it. He flew to the baptism and he couldn't be late.

He continued thinking. He was planning what he'd do and what he'd sayd. It was for the first time of his life and he wanted to do it well. He was finding a way to interpret some of his thoughts and thinking about advice that he'd give to the newborrn child.

He was nearer and nearer to snake's house. Only a few meters remained when he heard a terrible cry. Something's happened, it was the only thought in his mind.

He landed and the first thing he saw was a snake. He was very sad and the eagle started to expect the worst thing. What if the baby isn't alright? What if the baby is dead?

Aladdin was running to snake as fast as he could. He held him and asked what happened.

"My baby...", said snake named Terry Fying, "...he's...dead." His voice was so silent, nearly inaudible. "He was dead all the time, my wife was expecting him."

Aladdin didn't know what to say. He felt a great pain and tried to understand snake's emotions.

"I don't know how I can live without my baby", snake said. "Maybe if I kill myself I'll meet him in heaven and then I might be a father to him"

"Don't think this way", eagle answered. "You've my promise that I'll help you with everything you need."

France: climax

When he left Terry Fying's house, the Eagle saw the woman –whose bag had been stolen- again. She was with her two other sisters. Aladdin decided to go and speak to them.

"Hello!" he said from the sky. "From here I saw a man stealing your bag. Do you know what way he took?" The eagle asked.

"He went over there, behind the rampart, but it is inaccessible."

The eagle headed towards the place and he saw a piece of yellow fabric attached to the rampart. He was keeping on his way when he saw a den. And in the darkness, he caught sight of the robber. The terrifying shadow of the eagle scared him and he ran away. But Aladdin saw the old woman's bag. He picked it up and brought it back to her.

The woman didn't know how to thank the eagle. Aladdin had an idea:

"Do you know how I could bring a dead snake back to life?"

"There is a prophecy… Take a swallow feather and pronounce the following magic words:

'May your rest be infinite

Your Sorrows Alleviated

And the World filled with Happiness…"

Norway: falling action
All night Aladdin had been thinking of the prophecy given by the three sisters. He needed a swallow feather, but how was he going to get that? Just as he was about to fall a sleep, still wondering where the feather could be, a bright light appeared in the end of the room. Aladdin bounced up and rubbed his eyes. A fairy with a beautiful, pink, sparkling dress and big blond hair glanced at Aladdin and smiled from one ear to the other. “I'm the good fairy Ullrikke and I am here to help you to find what you seek. Fly into the forest, and you will find what you need.” The fairy danced her way out of the window, and Aladdin the eagle fell asleep.

Early in the morning Aladdin went for a flight in the forest, looking for something that could help him. After flying for a long, long time he saw a small green thing running on the ground. Aladdin went down to see what it was, and it was an elf. She was crying and sobbing her eyes out, and finally Aladdin managed to understand that she was lost in the labyrinth. Aladdin said he would help her, and maybe she knew something about the swallow’s feather? “Yes, yes”, she said, “go far into the woods, and look for a castle. The three witches live there, and they will give you what you need to catch this swallow.” After letting the elf down outside the labyrinth, he continued to the forest.

He started to get very tired when he saw the big castle that the elf had told him about. The castle was very dark and scary. He knocked on the door three times, and the woman who got her handbag stolen opened up. She invited Aladdin in for a cup of tea, and introduced him to her sisters. They told him that the only way of getting a swallow feather was to take it from the swallow when it was asleep. “Follow the sparkly road behind our castle, find the golden tree. That is where the swallow lives.” And Aladdin was on his way again.

Aladdin flew and flew, following the road. It was very easy to see it, since it was shining and sparkling a lot. He was still tired after all the flying so he went down to the ground to sit on a stump. All of a sudden a huge shadow came over him, and he was very scared. A purple dragon walked up to him. “You need to look for the feather in the labyrinth, not a tree. The three witches are evil, don't trust them! Here is what you need to do: go to the labyrinth in the end of the forest, find the swallow, and say to her “shimshallabom, shimshallabam” and repeat it three times while you use this amulet to hypnotize her.”

By now Aladdin was starting to get tired of all this magical whimsical things, but he did as the dragon said, and flew back to the labyrinth. After some circling above the ground, he spotted the swallow, sleeping in a hidden corner. He landed in front of her, and before she knew what was happening he had her hypnotized, and pulled out a beautiful, white feather.

Poland: twist of action

The Eagle took the feather in his beak and went on his way. It was night, but he wanted to see the snake as soon as possible. However, after a short time he came across a large group of giant and ugly trolls. Alladin was afraid of trolls and he didn’t want to join them. So he had to choose a longer way around which led over the sea. He flew for a long time, but finally he saw a small island covered with ice. He wanted to rest there. However, when he approached the island, suddenly a storm unleashed. A terrifying figure appeared – it was a sea monster, Draugen. The Eagle heard his terrible laugh and after a moment all he felt was the cold. He fell deep into the abyss of the sea. He thought that that was his end, but something caught him. Before he could understand what was happening, he found himself on the edge of the island that he was looking for. “I’m King Valemon and I noticed that you had been caught by Draugen. Fortunately, I managed to help you,” said the white bear, his rescuer. Alladin was very grateful to him, but he soon remembered that he had to continue his flight. Suddenly, he realized that the swallow feather had disappeared!

Common story assignments

Objective:

Together, all countries will write a European story. Each country will send six elements (from 2 narratives from their national literature) to another country, which will write a specific part of the story based on three of these elements, send their text to another country and add a list of six elements of its own literature.

Each part of the text will consist of 150 to 200 words and the text will be published on the eTwinning platform.
1. Belgium: exposition (with 3 of the elements sent by Bulgaria by 15/1) published by 22/1
2. Czech Republic: rising actions published by 5/2
3. France: climax published by 12/2
4. Norway: falling action published by 19/2
5. Poland: twist of action published by 26/2
6. Bulgaria: dénouement finished by 5/3 + send six elements of its own narratives to Belgium by 15/1.

First stop - Literature town Quest

THE CZECH REPUBLIC
He was born on 5th October 1936.
He’s czech writer, politician, dissident and co-founder of Charta 77.
He was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.
His the most famous pieces are: Letters to Olga, Garden Party
He had two wives. The first, Olga Šplíchalová died in 1996 and the second, Dagmar Veškrnová is czech actress.
When he was politician, he lived in castle in city, which is called “Town of hundred towers”.

POLAND
1. This place is the largest Polish city in the east of Poland. It is also one of the oldest in our country. This city is famous for its beautiful Old Town. In addition, one of Polish best-known writers died there.
2. The man was a Polish Renaissance poet. The masterpiece which he is best renowned for is Treny (Laments). He wrote a series of elegies upon the death of his beloved little daughter.
3. Do you know now what is the name of the city and the poet?

FRANCE
1. The stranger's father lived there.
2. It's the feline of France.
3. A very famous light party takes place in this city every year.
4. It's the second biggest city in France.

NORWAY
1. “Hammer Island”.
2. This tiny place is the place where one of our most beloved and, for other than literary reasons, hated authors grew up.
3. His most famous work is “The Growth of the Soil”.
4. This author received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1920.
5. 68° 5′ 2″ N, 15° 38′ 18″ E

BELGIUM
1. Georges Rodenbach (1829) wrote a book about this city.
2. The statue of the poet is located in the city we are looking for. This is one of his poems…

How sweet is it to think that,
maybe while I’m resting,
Someone else, far away from here,
unknown to me and never seen,
can read my poetry,
my beloved, and not know
of all the sad mistakes from
your father the poet!

3. The writer of the book, called ‘Het dolfijnenkind’ (‘The child of the dolphin’) was born in the city we are looking for.
When Marijn and her class visit a dolphinarium one day, something very strange happens. Without thinking about it, he dives in to the water and swims with the dolphins, as if he had always done that. When his mother finds out what happened, she tells Marijn a few things from the past, though it is very painful for her. Shortly after, they leave for the Bahamas, where Marijn was born, but where his father disappeared mysteriously. Their search for the truth can begin.

4. The popular detective series “Aspe” was filmed in this city. In the series, the charming police inspector Pieter Van In solves crimes and murders.
The successful series was based on the books of Pieter Aspe, who was born on 3rd April 1953 in this particular city.

5.This is a poem by a famous writer , who was born in this city.

I write you down
My wife, my pagan altar,
I play with light fingers and stroke,
My young forest that through winter,
My nerves, unchaste and tender character,
I write your breath and your body down
Music on lined paper.
And to your ear I promise your brand horoscopes
And get ready for world travel
And for a break in some kind of Austria.
But for gods and constellations
Eternal happiness is dead tired,
And I have no house, I have no bed,
I don’t even have birthday flowers for you.
I write down on paper
While you, as an orchard in July, swell and flourish.

Bulgarian elements for the common story

The FIRST group of three elements:
1. The snake
2. The white swallow
3. The pain/the suffering

The summary of the original story “Along the Telegraph Wire” by Iordan Iovkov.
Guncho, a poor villager from Deliorman (an area in Bulgaria, inhabited mostly by Turks), was on his way to another village, when he met Peter Mokanina. From their conversation it became clear that Guncho was looking for the white swallow, which could cure his daughter Nonka. He told Peter his sad story.
One day, while Nonka was resting in the fields, a snake lay on her chest. From that moment Nonka’s body began to become weak. None of doctors, who visited her, could help the sick girl. Sorrow and despair filled her father’s heart. He believed that the only thing that could save his daughter’s life was the white swallow and he was looking for it.

Three basic symbolic meanings are in the short story “Along the Telegraph Wire” by Iordan Iovkov.
The first symbolic meaning is hidden in the image of the snake, which caused Nonka’s unknown illness. The snake is a polysemantic symbol. It represents good and evil - the basic principles in the nature. However, the snake represents some positive ideas as well: it is a symbol of fertility, wisdom, life and health. It symbolizes the defender of home and the family protector.
The second symbolic meaning is hidden in Guncho’s suffering, caused by Nonka’s mysterious illness. It is his pain that urges him into seeking the pure, humanistic harmony hidden in the image of the white swallow.
The third symbolic meaning is hidden in the image of the white swallow. It is obvious antipode of the snake. The white swallow embodies freedom and spring, the quest and the following discovery. Why white? Because this colour contains all colours of the rainbow. It is a symbol of the complete purified harmony.

THE SECOND group of three elements:
4. The Hero
5. The Wood-nymph
6. The Eagle

The author of the poem: Hristo Botev
Hristo Botev is a Bulgarian national poet, publicist and revolutionary. He was born on 25th December 1845 in the town of Kaloffer, Bulgaria. He is an important figure in our history, because he volunteered in rebellions and movements for the liberation of Bulgaria. He is the greatest poet of the Bulgarian Renaissance.
In 1873, in the newspaper ‘Independence’, he published his famous poem “Hadgy Dimitter” dedicated to a brave Bulgarian revolutionary, who found his death in a battle. Many people used to believe he was still alive – hiding and preparing an rebellion against our enslavers. That’s why Botev wrote his poem to show that the spirit of the Bulgarian fighter never dies.

ELEMENTS OF THE STORY
The Hero–a character who symbolizes the universal model of civil behavior. He is incredibly brave and is always ready to help the others.
The wood-nymph – The wood-nymph is a magical character having positive as well as negative qualities. It is a personification of the creative and fostering activities of the nature, most often identified with the life-giving outflow of springs. In the Bulgarian folklore that creature is described as a very beautiful, always young girl with long blond hair and bewitching look. The wood-nymphs wear long white dresses and green belts. The nymphs like dancing and singing around springs, and it is said if you see one, you shouldn’t look at her eyes.
The Eagle – it symbolizes power, strong spirit, bravery and sacrifice for the others. It is the most powerful bird that can fly highest and is connected with the high heroic space.

The poem: Hadji Dimitar

He lives yet! he lives yet! there on the Balkan –
The blood has run dark from his bosom to die.
Behold the young hero whose bosom was throbbing,
Whose blood ever shouted as dawn in the sky.
There on the ground has he thrown the long rifle,
too and broken his sabre is hurled,
Over his eyes now the darkness is spreading,
On his lip trembles a curse for the world.
Silent he lies there and in the heavens
Has the sun halted and angrily glows,
Far down in the meadow some worker is singing
And faster and faster the hero’s blood flows.
It is the harvest. Sing, you slave-worker,
Sing the sad songs! You are shining, Oh, sun,
Over a slave-land; it will die with our hero –
But stop whispering, oh, brave hearth.
He, that has fallen fighting for freedom
Chooses not death – to that hero belong
The tears of the sky and of earth and her children
and the grieving voice from the beautiful song
An eagle is spreading its wing for a shadow,
A black wolf is licking the wound and above,
Above them the falcon, that bird of the heroes,
Floats over his brother, for sorrow and love.
Now falls the twilight and the moon clambers
The stars start dancing in the cope of heaven,
the wood starts rustling, the wind’s blowing,
The Balkan is saying a haidouk poem.
And all the white arrayed nymphs of the forest
Trumpet their wondering, silvery strain,
Softly they float over the land above him,
Till they alight as the summer-sweet rain.
One of them brings the keen herbs of the woodland,
Another brings water to quicken his brow,
Another one calls him to life with her kisses,
So that he turns like a wind-embraced bough.
„Tell, me, where is my comrade Karadja?
Where are the faithful who followed my sword?
Tell me and I shall sleep sweetly, my sisters,
Where the sweet blood from my body has poured.”
They clap with their hands, they embrace one another
And singing they fly on the back of the wind,
Fly to the dim land where spirits have assembled
But never the ghost of Karadja they found.
Now dawn has leaped to the mountains; the hero
on the Balkan. Ah! see, the blod flows,
The black wolf is licking his wound and the poison,
Scarlet the sun is and angrily glows.

*haidouk – a fighter against the slavery

The Bulgarian clues for the first stop Literature

The three clues about the Bulgarian mystery historical town:
1. The students of the creators of the Cyrillic alphabet used to work there.
2. It is connected with the name of King Simeon I (10th century), during his reign the Bulgarian country bordered on three seas.
3. This town was one of the former capitals of the first Bulgarian state on the Balkan Peninsula.

THE MYSTERY TOWN
You start from Sofia and travel to the north-east of Bulgaria. On your way you pass through the town of Veliko Turnovo. It is the second Bulgarian capital. The books written in the Turnovo literary school put the foundations of the contemporary Slavic literary language. The Old-Bulgarian book is hand-written and extremely precious with its miniatures (with multi-coloured compositions), the Tetraevangelia of Ivan Alexander known as the Gospel of London which still decorates the British National Museum as well as the chronicle of Manasii –kept in the Vatican.
Then you should pass through the town of Shoumen. The mystery town is located at about 20 km., south-east of the town of Shoumen.
The mystery town became the first Bulgarian capital during the reign of King Simeon. The first literary school was established at this place. The importance of its activity marked the beginning of the Golden Age in the cultural history of Bulgaria. Some of the most famous writers and teachers that worked there are Naum Preslavski, Chernorizets Hrabar and Joan Ekzarh.