🌟 A Legend of the Northland – Notes

📝 Summary in Points

1. The poem is a folk ballad from the Northland (a cold northern region).
2. It tells the story of an old, selfish woman who refused to give food to Saint Peter when he was hungry.
3. The old woman was very greedy—she baked cakes but thought each one was too big to give away.
4. She even made the cakes smaller and smaller, but still, she could not part with any.
5. Saint Peter became angry with her selfishness and cursed her.
6. She was turned into a woodpecker, condemned to search for food by boring into trees.
7. The poem teaches the moral that selfishness and greed are punished, while generosity is a virtue.

🌍 Theme

• Selfishness and greed lead to downfall.
• Importance of kindness, charity, and sharing.
• Folk wisdom: moral stories are passed down through legends.

✨ Explanation (Stanza-wise)

🌨️ Stanza 1–2:

The poet describes the Northland, a cold and snowy place where days are short, nights are long, and children ride on sledges drawn by reindeer.

➡️ Imagery of the region is created vividly, like a fairy-tale land.

🥮 Stanza 3–6:

Saint Peter, a holy man, is hungry and weak after fasting. He asks a woman baking cakes for food.
The woman is selfish and refuses to share even a small cake.

➡️ Her greed is highlighted; she values cakes more than kindness.

⚡ Stanza 7–9:

The woman tries making a small cake, then even smaller, but still cannot give it.
Her selfishness grows with each attempt.

➡️ Repetition shows her greediness clearly.

🔥 Stanza 10–12:

Saint Peter becomes angry and curses her:

• She is unworthy of food, shelter, or comfort.
• She is turned into a woodpecker—now she has to dig all day in hard wood for food.

➡️ Her punishment reflects her actions (poetic justice).

🌳 Stanza 13–16:

The poet says people in the Northland still see the bird with a red head, boring into trees.
It reminds everyone of this legendary tale of greed and punishment.

🎭 Figures of Speech

1. Alliteration – “lazy little”, “better to”
2. Imagery – description of the Northland, cakes, reindeer, etc.
3. Simile – “They tell them a curious story / As we have in our childhood heard” (like a fairy tale).
4. Repetition – “little” is repeated to stress greed.
5. Symbolism – Woodpecker = punishment for selfishness.
6. Personification – Saint Peter shows human emotions of anger.

📚 Question & Answer

Q1. What kind of story is ‘A Legend of the Northland’?
👉 It is a folk ballad that conveys a moral lesson through a story of Saint Peter and a greedy woman.

Q2. Why did Saint Peter ask the old woman for food?
👉 He was tired and hungry after fasting and preaching.

Q3. How did the old woman react to his request?
👉 She was selfish and greedy; she baked cakes but thought each was too big to give away, so she refused to share.

Q4. What curse did Saint Peter give to the woman?
👉 He cursed her to become a woodpecker, forced to dig for food all her life.

Q5. What moral does the poem teach?
👉 The poem teaches that selfishness and greed are punished, and generosity is a virtue.

Q6. Why is the poem called a “legend”?
👉 Because it is an old story passed down from generation to generation, with a moral lesson.

Q7. Describe the lifestyle of the people in the Northland.
👉 They live in cold, snowy regions, ride sledges pulled by reindeer, and wear warm clothes.

🌈 Moral of the Poem

• Always be kind and generous.
• Greed and selfishness bring punishment.
• Legends preserve important values for society.