NCERT Solutions: Poem - A legend of Northland

Q1. Which country or countries do you think "the Northland" refers to?
Ans: The Northland most likely refers to the very cold regions in the extreme north of the globe, for example Greenland, the northern parts of Russia (Siberia), northern Canada and parts of Norway and other Arctic areas. These regions are known for long, harsh winters, ice and snow and sparse vegetation.

Q2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady's reaction?
Ans: Saint Peter asked the old lady for one of her baked cakes because he was hungry. The lady kept trying to make him a smaller cake but could not bear to give any away. She baked a small cake and then made it yet smaller, finally rolling a wafer-thin scrap of dough, but each time she judged it too large to part with. She kept the cakes to herself, thinking that what seemed small when eaten was still too much to share.

Q3. How did he punish her?
Ans: He punished the old lady by turning her into a woodpecker. As a woodpecker she had to live like birds do, building a home in trees, spending her days boring into hard, dry wood and finding only a little food. This change forced her to suffer for her selfishness and to live constantly searching for sustenance.

Q4. How does the woodpecker get her food?
Ans: The woodpecker obtains food by pecking and boring into tree trunks to reach insects and larvae hidden inside the wood. She uses a strong beak to make holes and then extracts the insects from within the tree, feeding on what she finds under the bark.

Q5. Do you think that the old lady would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter was? What would she have done then?
Ans: No. If the old lady had known that the visitor was Saint Peter, she would probably not have behaved so ungenerously. In that case she would likely have offered him a proper cake to show hospitality and to gain his favour, instead of trying to give him almost nothing. Her behaviour would have been guided by respect and the wish to please an honoured guest.

Q6. Is this a true story? Which part of this poem do you feel is the most important? [Old NCERT]
Ans: No, this account is not literally true; it is a legend. The most important part of the poem is the transformation of the old lady into a woodpecker. That moment highlights the moral lesson: selfishness brings punishment and generosity is a valued quality.

Q7. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Ans: A legend is a traditional tale from the past that people accept and pass down, though its historical truth cannot be verified. Legends often teach a moral lesson and sometimes contain supernatural or exaggerated events. This poem is called a legend because it uses a fanciful, memorable event - the old lady's transformation - to teach the moral importance of generosity.

Q8. Write the story of 'A Legend of the Northland' in about ten sentences.
Ans: Saint Peter visited the cottage of an old woman in a cold northern region while he was hungry. The woman was baking cakes when he asked her for one. She tried to make a small cake for him but always judged it too large to give away. Each time she made a smaller cake, she still would not part with it. At last she rolled a wafer-thin scrap of dough but refused to hand it to him. Angry at her selfishness, Saint Peter decided she was too selfish to remain human. He punished her by turning her into a woodpecker so that she would live in trees and bore for her food. Her clothes fell away in the change, leaving only a scarlet cap. She flew out through the chimney and began to live in the woods. Country children often see her still, pecking at trees as a reminder of her past greed.

Q9. 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'. 
Ans: The rhyming words include:

• Few and through
• Earth and hearth
• Done and one
• Lay and away
• Flat and that
• Myself and shelf
• Faint and saint
• Form and warm
• Food and wood
• Word and bird
• Same and flame
• Snows and clothes
• True and you
• Below and know

Q10. Go to the local library or talk to older persons in your locality and find legends in your language. Tell the class these legends. 
Ans: Echo was a nymph who loved to talk and always wanted the last word. One day she offended the goddess Juno, who punished her by taking away her voice. After that, Echo could only repeat the last words spoken by others. Ashamed, she hid in the forest and watched people from a distance. In the same region there lived Narcissus, a handsome young man who became proud of his beauty. When Narcissus called, Echo could only answer by repeating, and this led to a sad misunderstanding. Narcissus looked away and would not return Echo's affection. Unable to be with him, Echo faded until only her voice remained. For years afterwards people heard her replies echoing in caves and on hills, repeating the last words they spoke and creating a lonely, haunting sound.