A LEGEND OF THE NORTHLAND

1. Which country or countries do you think "the Northland" refers to?

Answer: The Northland refers to the cold northern regions of the world, possibly countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland, or Russia.

2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady's reaction?

Answer: Saint Peter, tired and hungry from fasting, asked the old woman for a single cake. However, she was too selfish to share. Each time she baked a smaller cake, she felt it was still too big to give away. In the end, she kept all the cakes for herself.

3. How did he punish her?

Answer: Saint Peter became angry at her greed and cursed her. He said she was too selfish to live as a human and transformed her into a woodpecker. From that moment, she had to build her own home in trees and peck wood all day to find food.

4. How does the woodpecker get her food?

Answer: The woodpecker, who was once a selfish woman, now gets her food by boring into hard, dry wood. As a punishment from Saint Peter, she has to work all day like a bird, pecking trees to find food, without the comfort of a home, fire, or ready meals.

5. Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?

Answer: No, the old lady would not have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was. If she had recognised him as a holy man, she would have surely offered him the best cake. She acted selfishly because she thought he was just an ordinary traveller.

NOTE: Ungenerous means not willing to share or give, selfish.

6. Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important?

Answer: No, this is not a true story; it is a legend, a traditional tale with a moral. The most important part of the poem is when Saint Peter punishes the woman and turns her into a woodpecker. It clearly conveys the poem’s central message against greed and selfishness.

7. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?

Answer: A legend is an old traditional story that is passed down through generations. It often teaches a moral lesson.

This poem is called a legend because it tells a strange, old story from the Northland about a selfish woman who was turned into a woodpecker as a punishment by Saint Peter.

8. Write the story of 'A Legend of the Northland' in about ten sentences.

Answer: In the snowy Northland, Saint Peter once asked an old woman for a cake. Though she was baking many, she felt each one was too big to give. Even a tiny one, she kept for herself. Angered by her selfishness, Saint Peter cursed her. She flew up the chimney and turned into a woodpecker. Her red cap remained, but her clothes turned black. Now she lives in the woods, boring into trees for food, teaching us not to be greedy.

Summary of "A Legend of the Northland"

The poem tells a story from the snowy region called the Northland, where days are short and nights are long. In this land, people tell a legend, or an old story, about Saint Peter and a selfish old woman.

Saint Peter was once travelling the earth, preaching. One day, feeling very tired and hungry after fasting all day, he stopped at a cottage where a little woman was baking cakes. He politely asked her for one small cake.

The woman began to make a small cake for him, but each time she looked at it, she thought it was too big to give away. Even when she made a very tiny one, she still could not give it to him and kept them all for herself.

Saint Peter became angry at her greed and selfishness. He said she was not fit to live in a human form with food and shelter. As a punishment, he turned her into a woodpecker, saying she must now live in the trees, making her own food by boring into hard wood.

She flew out of the chimney, her red cap still on, but the rest of her clothes turned black from the flames. The poet says that even now, children can see the woodpecker in the forest, pecking for food.

The poem teaches a moral lesson: we should not be selfish, and we should help others when we can. It is called a legend because it is a traditional story told through generations, with a moral value.