"Rooting for Europe" classroom activities

Peter Klepec

Peter Klepec was a small and weak boy. He lived with his mother and they were very poor. One day he decided to leave home to work for a rich farmer. He became a shepherd. Some boys from the village bullied him and made his life really miserable. One day he saw a beatiful girl sleeping in the grass. The sun was very hot so he was afraid that the girl might get sunburnt. He didn't know that the girl was actually a mountain fairy! He made a shelter for her. When the fairy woke up, she was very grateful and granted Peter a wish. He wanted to be stronger. The fairy took him to a well. When he took a few sips from the well, he already felt much stronger. He was very happy and wanted to thank the girl, but she already changed into a cloud and vanished into thin air. Peter beat up the bullies and got rid of them forever.
He didn't want to be a shepherd any more. He returned to
his mum. He was now much stronger and could remove rocks, plough the field, sow wheat and they were never hungry again. They lived happily … until that night when hundreds of bonfires illuminated the sky, warning the people of the approaching Turkish army. The emperor didn't want to lose his men and he made a deal with the sultan. The strongest man from each army should fight and the winner will take it all.
Days passed and the emperor couldn't find a man willing to fight the big and strong Turkish soldier. He was worried sick, when suddenly a small boy emerged in front of him. It was Peter Klepec, who volunteered to fight the Turk.
Peter just touched the Turk and the giant fell and couldn't get up any more. The sultan was furious and ordered his army to kill Peter. But as they came near, Peter swept them off with the trunk of a tree. Everybody ran away and the Turks never came back again.

Exercise 1

Peter Klepec

Exercise 2

Are the following statements true or false?
Correct the false statements.

Peter Klepec was a Slovenian emperor.
He was a shepherd.
He fought the Sultan.
He defeated the Turkish army.
He got his magic powers from a dragon.
He looked very strong.

EXERCISE 3

Write the dialogue between Peter Klepec and the fairy.

The legend of the Ljubljana Dragon

It all started with the dragon. And the Greek hero Jason who stole the Golden Fleece from the king of the Black sea. Jason and his warriors, the Argonauts, fled across the Black Sea, up the Danube and the Sava and soon they reached the Ljubljanica river. They came across a large lake on the Ljubljana marshes, where a dragon lived. With the help of his lover, Medea, Jason fought and killed the dragon. So, Jason is supposed to be the first citizen of Ljubljana.

The legend of Pagan Girl

Ajdovska deklica, or the Pagan Girl, was a kindhearted giantess who lived on the slopes of Mount Prisank. She would help mountaineers and other travellers find their way through snow blizzards over the Vršič pass into the Trenta valley. As a fate deity, she also visited young mothers and foretold the destinies of the newborn children. One night, she prophesied the birth of a baby boy from Trenta who would grow up to be a hunter, kill Zlatorog, a golden-horned white chamois, sell the animal‘s precious horns and become incredibly rich. Angered by the prophesy, her fellow maidens decided to punish her. As soon as the Pagan Girl returned to her mountain home, she turned into stone. To this day, she gazes in amazement down into the valley of Trenta, surprise still clouding her big petrified eyes.

Do this jigsaw puzzle to see the Pagan girl.

Pagan girl

The Legend of Šmarna gora

Once upon a time there lived a giant named Hrust. All the people living in the area were afraid of him. While plundering and intimidating the local people, he was helped by his dog, whose head was as fierce as a dragon's. A brave man, called Kajžarjev Janez, decided to put an end to the terror. One night he put a rabbit in a sack, took an iron rod and headed toward the giant's den.
When he came to the den, he heard the giant snoring. He let the rabbit out of the sack. The dog that was guarding the giant, started chasing the rabbit. Hearing the noise, the giant woke up. First he sneezed so fiercely that Janez was blown off his feet and across the river Sava. Then the giant started throwing rocks after him. He kept throwing rocks all day, and then he stepped on the other side of the river and piled up the rocks. When he finished, he stepped on the top to look aroud when suddenly the pile broke in the middle and swallowed the giant. That's how Šmarna gora, Grmada and Sedlo (saddle) were made.

Slovenian folk tales

Read all four folk tales and do the exercise!

A cloze test

Open and read the presentation. Then answer the questions below.

A dessert

1. What dessert is the presentation about?
2. When is it usually eaten?
3. How many different kinds of filling are there? Name some.
4. When was it first mentioned?
5. Do you have a similar dessert in your country?

The ingredients in the pictures above are most commonly used in different fillings of potica. Name them.

poppy seeds, tarragon, walnuts, coconut, cottage cheese