Class 9 Beehive Poem Chapter 5 Question Answers - A Legend of the Northland

Q1: What is a legend? Why is this called a legend?
Ans: A legend is a very old story from ancient times, which may not always be true, and one that people tell about a famous event or person. A legend often teaches a lesson. This poem is called a legend because it tells an old story of Northland. This is the story of an old greedy woman who angered St. Peter and was turned into a woodpecker because of her greed, and the poet herself says, ‘I don’t believe it is true’.

Q2: Where does this legend belong to and what kind of country is it?
Ans: The legend belongs to the “Northland”, an area that could refer to any of the extremely cold countries in the Earth’s north polar region, such as Greenland, the northern regions of Russia—Siberia, or the Scandinavian countries – Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland and Finland. It is a cold place where days are short and the nights are long.

Q3: Why does the poet say that the hours of the day are few?
Ans: In the poem, the poet says the legend is told in Northland. The Northland is a cold snow-covered region near the North Pole. Here the days are shorter and the nights are longer. As a result, there are very few hours in a day.

Q4: Why are the People unable to sleep through the night?
Ans: The people are unable to sleep through the night because the nights are very long and very cold.

Q5: ‘And the children look like bear’s cubs.’ What have the children been compared to? Why?
Ans: The children have been compared to bear cubs. Northland is a cold place, so the children have to wear funny furry dresses to protect themselves from the cold. These dresses make them look like bear cubs.

Q6: What does the poet tell us about the story she is about to narrate? Why does she want to tell the tale?
Ans: The poet says that she is going to tell a strange tale told by the people of Northlands. She admits that though the story may not be true, still she wants to tell the story because it contains a lesson in generosity and philanthropy. She wants the readers to learn a lesson from the poem.

Q7: Who came to the woman’s house and what did he ask for?
Ans: Saint Peter, while preaching round the world, reached the woman’s door. He had been traveling the whole day and was tired and hungry. When Saint Peter saw the woman making cakes, he asked her for one of her large stores of cakes.

Q8: Why was Saint Peter tired and hungry?
Ans: Saint Peter was an apostle of Jesus Christ. He traveled around the land, preaching the message of Christ. During the course of his journey, sometimes, he did not get food and water. Besides, he had to observe fasts also. This often left him tired and hungry.

Q9: What did Saint Peter ask the woman for? What was the woman’s reaction?
Ans: Saint Peter asked the old lady for a cake from her store of cakes. The woman, who was very greedy, did not wish to part with her cakes as she felt they were too large to be given away. So she made a small cake for him, but, that too, seemed to her too big to be given away. In the end, she made a very small and thin cake. But she did not give even that cake to St. Peter and she put it away on the shelf.

Q10: Why did the woman bake a little cake?
Ans: The woman in the poem has been shown as being highly stingy, miserly, greedy and mean by nature. Whenever she picked up a cake to give it away, it appeared to be too large to give away. Hence, she baked a ‘very small cake for Saint Peter that was as thin as a wafer.

Q11: What happened to the cakes the woman baked for Saint Peter?
Ans: The woman was greedy. When Saint Peter, tired and hungry, after his travels arrived at her cottage and asked for a cake from her large store, she had no desire to share anything with him. The woman tried time and again to bake a smaller and smaller cake for Saint Peter. But even when the cake was as thin as water, the woman felt the cake was too big to be given away to Saint Peter and she put it on her shelf.

Q12: Explain: ‘And surely such a woman was enough to provoke a saint.’ Who was the lady and how did she provoke the saint?
Ans: The woman, who was making cakes when the saint visited her, was mean and greedy. Though she could see the visitor was tired and hungry, she did not give him anything to eat. She baked cakes that were smaller and smaller, till she made one that was as thin as a wafer, but she could not bear to part even with that. The old lady did not help the hungry and tired saint. Saints are known for their patience, but her selfishness angered the saint, who cursed her.

Q13: Why did Saint Peter curse the woman? What did he turn her into?
Ans: Saint Peter cursed the woman because she had been miserly and selfish. He felt she was not fit to live in a human form and enjoy food, shelter, and warmth. He turned her into a woodpecker who has to build its nest “as birds do” and gather its scanty food by boring in the “hard, dry wood” all day long.

Q14: ‘For she was changed to a bird.’ Who was she and why was she changed to a bird?
OR
‘You are too selfish to dwell in a human form.’ Who said this and to whom? Why did he say so?
Ans: A woman of Northland, who was miserly and selfish, was changed to a woodpecker by Saint Peter. She had refused to give even a cake as thin as a wafer to the tired and hungry saint. So, as a punishment, she was turned into a bird who would have to live in a nest and bore into wood for her food.

Q15: How is the woman seen by the people of Northland?
Ans: Boys going to the forest have seen the woman, as a woodpecker in the wood. She lives in a nest in the tree and bores into the hard dry wood for her food.

Q16: Do you think that the woman would have been so ungenerous if she had known who Saint Peter really was? What would she have done then?
Ans: No, she would not have been so greedy and turned Saint Peter away. On the contrary, since she was a greedy woman, she would have wanted a reward from Saint Peter, and would likely have given him a large piece of cake to make him happy.

Q17: Describe the theme of the poem ‘A legend of the Northland'?
Ans: The theme of the poem 'A Legend of the Northland' is centered around greed, selfishness, and the consequences of such negative traits. It teaches a moral lesson about the importance of generosity and helping those in need, as seen through the story of the old woman who refuses to share her cakes with the hungry and tired Saint Peter, leading to her transformation into a woodpecker.

Q18: What is a ballad? Is this poem a ballad?
Ans: A ballad is a song narrating a story in short stanzas. Ballads are part of the folk culture and are passed on orally from one generation to another. The poem ‘A Legend of the Northland’ is also a ballad as it contains the story of an old selfish woman and has been passed on from generation to generation, "They tell them a curious story."

Q19: What do you learn about the woman in the poem?
Ans: The woman in the poem is greedy and selfish. She has a large store of cakes but refuses to give away even one that is as small as a wafer to a tired and hungry traveler.

Q20: What do you learn about Saint Peter in the poem?
Ans: Saint Peter goes about the land preaching the message of God. As he goes on his journey, sometimes, he does not get food and water. Besides, he has to observe fasts also. This often leaves him tired and hungry. Despite being a saint, he is provoked to anger and he curses the woman, and she is turned into a woodpecker. Being a saint, he should have forgiven the woman and shown her some mercy.

Q21: Describe Northland as done by the poet?
Ans: Northland, as depicted by the poet, refers to the frigid and harsh region near the North Pole. It encompasses extremely cold countries such as Greenland, the northern parts of Russia (Siberia), and the Scandinavian countries including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, and Finland. In this icy expanse, the days are short and the nights are prolonged. The relentless winter cold prevents people from sleeping through the entire night. The environment is dominated by snow, and children are bundled up in furry clothing, resembling bear cubs, to protect themselves from the cold.

Q22: Briefly narrate the legend of the old woman and St. Peter?
Ans: In this legend, Saint Peter, weary and hungry from his travels, approached the cottage of an old woman. He requested a cake to eat, and the woman, who was baking cakes, tried to make a small one for him. However, each time she baked, the cake appeared too large to part with. She repeatedly made smaller cakes, but her greed and selfishness prevented her from sharing. Saint Peter, annoyed by her behavior, cursed her, declaring that she was too selfish to live in human form with its comforts of food, shelter, and warmth. Consequently, she was transformed into a woodpecker, destined to live in a nest and gather meager sustenance by pecking into dry, hard wood.

Q23: What is the message of the poem?
Ans: The message of the poem revolves around the importance of generosity and selflessness. It conveys that true happiness and fulfillment come from sharing and helping others in need. The old woman's extreme greed and reluctance to share her abundance ultimately led to her downfall and transformation. The poem warns against the perils of selfishness and highlights the virtues of compassion and empathy. Additionally, the legend underscores the notion that one's actions have consequences, and a lack of generosity can result in losing the privileges and comforts of human existence.