A Legend of the Northland

Introduction

In Northland, 'A Legend of the Northland' is a folktale passed on from generation to generation. The little woman who got punished for being selfish is the central character of this story. This legendary poem teaches the readers not to be greedy and to be kind and empathic. The poem was written by Phoebe Cary, a renowned poet. Four lines are in each stanza of the sixteen-stanza ballad.

The younger sister of Alice Cary, Phoebe Cary was an American poet. Each of them has published many poems, both individually and together. “A Legend of the Northland” is a very beautiful poem composed by this great poet.

Summary

In the Northland, extreme cold conditions prevented citizens from sleeping at night. During the long nights, parents tell their children stories. Phoebe Cary tells one such tale with this poem. In the past, Saint Peter lived as a human and taught about God all over the world.

St. Peter came across a little woman baking in the fireplace of a cottage door while traveling around the world. He was hungry and tired after fasting all day. The day was coming to an end. So, he requested the woman to feed him a cake. Before she could give the cake to Saint Peter, the woman felt that it was too large.

So, she tried to prepare a smaller cake, but it was almost the same size as the first cake. She told that the cakes were smaller to eat by herself, but larger to give to someone else. So she did not offer a single cake to the Saint. The selfishness of the woman made Peter angry. So he told her that she does not deserve to be a person and live a cosy life with food and a warm home with fire.

Because of his curse, she turned into a bird. She moved out of her home by chimneys and turned into a woodpecker. She started digging in the hardwoods in search of food as a bird. When she became a woodpecker, she was left with her red cap only. From that time kids going to school started seeing her in the forest digging into hardwoods.

Conclusion

The poem illustrates the idea that those without kindness and compassion for others should not be loved. Furthermore, one should not be greedy in their desire for comfort and more materialistic pleasures.

Question and Answers

Q. Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?

Ans. Northland refers to the countries on the north pole such as Greenland, Canada, Russia, etc.

Q. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?

Ans. Saint Peter asked the old lady for a cake. The old lady, being very selfish, did not give a single cake to Saint Peter

Q. How did he punish her?

Ans. He turned her into a woodpecker.

Q. How does the woodpecker get her food?

Ans. The woodpecker gets her food by digging a hole on the hard surface of the woods.

Q. 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?

Ans. I think the old lady would not have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was. She would have given him a big cake to satisfy him and get a reward.

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

Ans. No, it's not a true story. The part of the poem where we can understand the importance of humanity and the consequences of being selfish is the most important.

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

Ans. Legend is a story with moral values, but it does not have any proof to be real. This poem is called a legend because it gives a clear message about humanity to society.

Q. Write the story of ‘A Legend of the Northland’ in about ten sentences.

Ans. In one instance, St. Peter was hungry but didn't have any money. So he asked a woman to give him a cake. The lady, being selfish, went to prepare a small cake. She felt that the size of the cake was too big and kept on decreasing the size. Finally, she could not give him a piece of cake. Saint Peter became angry and cursed her. Because of his curse, she turned into a bird. She moved out of her home by chimneys and turned into a woodpecker. She started digging in the hardwoods in search of food as a bird. From that time kids going to school started seeing her in the forest digging into hardwoods.

Q. Let’s look at the words at the end of the second and fourth lines, viz., ‘snows’ and ‘clothes’, ‘true’ and ‘you’, ‘below’ and ‘know.’ We find that ‘snows’ rhymes with ‘clothes’, ‘true’ rhymes with ‘you’ and ‘below’ rhymes with ‘know’. Find more such rhyming words.

Ans. Head-burned, same-flame, wood-food, word-bird, form-warm, faint-saint, myself-shelf, flat-that, one-done, lay-away, earth-hearth, and done-one are some rhyming words.

Q. Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your own language. Tell the class these legends

Ans. Talk to the elder persons and find it yourself.

FAQs

Q. Why did the old lady refuse to give the cake to Saint Peter?

Ans. Before she could give the cake to Saint Peter, the woman felt that it was too large. So, she tried to prepare a smaller cake, but it was almost the same size as the first cake. The old lady told that the cakes were smaller to eat by herself, but larger to give to someone else. So she refused to give it to the saint.

Q. How did Saint Peter curse the old lady?

Ans. The angry saint cursed the old lady by saying that she does not deserve to be a person and live a cosy life with food and a warm home with fire. So he turned the woman into a woodpecker.

Q. Why did Saint Peter ask for a cake for the old lady?

Ans. St. Peter came across an old lady baking in the fireplace of a cottage door while traveling around the world. He was hungry and tired after fasting all day. The day was coming to an end. So, he requested that the woman feed him a cake.

Q. Why did he conclude that the lady was selfish?

Ans. The old lady said that the cakes were smaller to eat by herself, but larger to give to someone else. So she did not offer a single cake to the Saint. So he concluded that the lady is selfish.