“A Legend of the Northland” is Poem 5 from the NCERT Class 9 English textbook Beehive. Written by American poet Phoebe Cary (1824–1871), this poem is a ballad — a song-like narrative poem that tells a story. The poem is based on a legend (a traditional story) set in the cold Northland, and it teaches a powerful moral lesson about greed and selfishness. Students of ASSEB (Assam State Board of Secondary Education) Class 9 will find complete notes, summary, stanza-wise explanation, and all textbook and additional questions answered below.
The Poem — A Legend of the Northland
Away, away in the Northland,
Where the hours of the day are few,
And the nights are so long in winter
That they cannot sleep them through;
Where they harness the swift reindeer
To the sledges, when it snows;
And the children look like bear’s cubs
In their funny little clothes:
They tell them a curious story —
I don’t suppose it’s true;
And yet you will learn a lesson
If I tell it straight to you.
Once, when the good Saint Peter
Lived in the world below,
And walked about it, preaching,
Just as he did, you know,
He came to the door of a cottage,
In travelling round the earth,
Where a little woman was making cakes,
And baking them on the hearth;
And being faint from fasting,
For the day was almost done,
He asked her, from her store of cakes,
To give him a single one.
So she made a very little cake,
But as it baking lay,
She looked at it, and thought it seemed
Too large to give away.
Therefore she kneaded another,
And still a smaller one;
But it looked, when she turned it over,
Just as large as the first had done.
Then she took a tiny scrap of dough,
And rolled and rolled it flat;
And baked it thin as a wafer —
But she couldn’t part with that.
For she said, “My cakes that seem too small
When I eat them myself are large;
And the one I baked for you, good man,
Is clearly not worth your charge.”
Then good Saint Peter grew angry,
For he was hungry and faint;
And surely such a woman
Was enough to provoke a saint!
And he said, “You are far too selfish
To dwell in human form,
To have both food and shelter,
And fire to keep you warm.
Now, you shall build as the birds do,
And shall get your scanty food
By boring and boring and boring,
All day in the hard, dry wood.”
Then up she went through the chimney,
Never speaking a word,
And out of the top flew a woodpecker,
For she was changed to a bird!
She had a scarlet cap on her head,
And that was left the same;
But all the rest of her clothes were burned
Black as she went through the flame.
And every country schoolboy
Has seen her in the wood,
Where she lives as she must live now,
For she was bad as she could;
And she has her scanty livelihood
And her narrow house to boot,
And has to bore for the scanty crumbs
She gets in her pursuit.
Word Meanings
| Word / Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Northland | A fictional cold land far to the north |
| Harness | To attach an animal to a vehicle or sledge |
| Sledges | Vehicles that slide over snow, pulled by animals |
| Curious | Strange, unusual |
| Hearth | The floor of a fireplace where fire is made |
| Faint from fasting | Feeling weak due to not eating |
| Kneaded | Pressed and worked dough with hands |
| Scrap of dough | A very small piece of unbaked bread mixture |
| Wafer | An extremely thin, flat piece of baked food |
| Provoke | To make someone very angry |
| Scanty | Barely enough; very little |
| Boring | Drilling holes in wood (as a woodpecker does) |
| Scarlet cap | Bright red cap on the woman’s head |
| Livelihood | A means of earning food or income |
| Narrow house | A small hole in a tree trunk (the woodpecker’s home) |
| Pursuit | The act of searching for something |
Summary / Central Idea
“A Legend of the Northland” is a ballad by Phoebe Cary that narrates a moral tale set in the cold Northland. The poem tells the story of a selfish woman who refused to share even a tiny cake with the hungry Saint Peter. Angered by her extreme greed, Saint Peter cursed her, and she was transformed into a woodpecker — condemned to spend her life boring into hard, dry wood to find her meagre food and to build a narrow home in a tree trunk.
The poem’s central idea is that selfishness and greed are grave moral failures. A person who hoards food while others go hungry does not deserve to live in human form with all its comforts — shelter, warmth, and plenty. The woodpecker, with her red cap and black body, is seen in woods to this day, and schoolboys recognise her as a reminder of the punishment that greed brings. The poem teaches that generosity and compassion are essential human virtues.
Stanza-wise Explanation
Stanzas 1–2: The Setting — The Northland
The poet introduces the setting: a far-off, bitterly cold place called the Northland. Days there are very short and nights are so long that the people cannot sleep through them. People use reindeer to pull sledges through the snow. Children are dressed in such thick, bulky clothing that they look like little bear cubs. This description creates a vivid picture of an extreme, wintry world very different from everyday life.
Stanza 3: The Story Begins
The poet says that the people of the Northland tell a curious (strange and interesting) story. The poet admits they do not know whether it is true, but promises that whoever hears it will certainly learn a lesson from it. This sets up the moral purpose of the ballad and engages the reader’s curiosity.
Stanzas 4–6: Saint Peter Arrives
The story begins in the time when Saint Peter walked the earth, preaching. One day, during his travels, he came to a cottage where a little woman was baking cakes on the hearth. Saint Peter had been fasting all day and was very weak with hunger. He humbly asked the woman for just one cake from her large store.
Stanzas 7–10: The Woman’s Greed
The woman agreed to bake a cake for him, but when the first cake came out, she thought it looked too large to give away. So she made a smaller one — but that too seemed too large when she turned it over. She then rolled out a tiny scrap of dough, as thin as a wafer (paper-thin), but still she could not bring herself to give even that away. She justified her selfishness by saying that any cake she baked seemed too small when she ate it herself, but too large to give to a stranger. Her greed and miserliness grew with every attempt, and she could not part with any of the cakes.
Stanzas 11–13: Saint Peter’s Curse
Saint Peter became very angry. He was already weak with hunger, and the woman’s extreme selfishness provoked him greatly. He declared that she was far too selfish to live in human form, enjoying the comforts of food, shelter, and warmth. He cursed her: she would have to live like a bird, building her home as birds do, and scratch for her food by boring holes in hard, dry wood all day long — just as woodpeckers do.
Stanzas 14–15: The Transformation
Immediately after the curse, the woman flew up through the chimney without speaking a single word. As she passed through the flames, all her clothing was burned black. Only her scarlet (bright red) cap remained unchanged. She emerged from the top of the chimney as a woodpecker — transformed from a human being into a bird.
Stanzas 16–17: The Moral
The poet concludes by saying that every country schoolboy has seen the woodpecker in the woods. She lives as she must — as punishment for being as bad (selfish) as she could possibly be. She now has a narrow hole in a tree for a home and must bore into hard, dry wood endlessly to find her scanty, meagre food. The image of the red-capped, black-bodied woodpecker that we see in real life is connected by the poem to this story of greed and divine punishment.
Thinking about the Poem — Textbook Questions and Answers
Q1. Which country or countries do you think “the Northland” refers to?
Answer: “The Northland” refers to the cold, Arctic regions of the far north. It most likely refers to countries like Norway, Sweden, Finland, Greenland, or the northern parts of Canada and Russia. These regions have very short days and extremely long winter nights, people use reindeer-pulled sledges, and children dress in very thick, warm clothing — all details mentioned in the poem. The term “Northland” is used broadly to describe any cold northern land and is not limited to a single specific country.
Q2. What did Saint Peter ask the old lady for? What was the lady’s reaction?
Answer: Saint Peter was travelling and preaching on earth. He came to the cottage of a little woman who was baking cakes on the hearth. He was faint (weak) from fasting all day, so he asked her to give him just one cake from her store. The woman’s reaction was extremely selfish. She agreed to bake a cake for him, but every cake she made seemed too large to give away. She made a smaller one, but even that seemed too big. She then made one as thin as a wafer, but still could not bring herself to give it away. She kept making excuses, saying any cake seemed too small when she ate it herself. Her greed prevented her from offering Saint Peter even the tiniest cake.
Q3. How did Saint Peter punish the woman?
Answer: Saint Peter was enraged by the woman’s extreme selfishness and greed. He cursed her and said she was too selfish to live in human form and enjoy human comforts — food, shelter, and warmth by the fire. He condemned her to live like a bird: she would have to build her home as birds do and spend her days boring into hard, dry wood to find her scanty food. After he spoke the curse, the woman flew up through the chimney, her clothes burned black by the flames, and she emerged as a woodpecker. Only her red cap remained unchanged. She was thus transformed from a human being into a woodpecker — forced to live in a narrow hole in a tree and peck at hard wood endlessly for her meagre food.
Q4. What is a legend? Why is this poem called a legend?
Answer: A legend is a traditional story or narrative that is popularly believed to be true but cannot be historically verified. Legends are usually passed down through generations and often explain natural phenomena, place names, or the origin of certain creatures or customs. They usually have a moral or religious dimension.
This poem is called “A Legend of the Northland” because it presents itself as a traditional story told by the people of the Northland. The poet herself says, “I don’t suppose it’s true,” acknowledging the story’s legendary nature. The poem explains the origin of the woodpecker — why it has a red cap, a black body, and spends its life boring into hard wood — through a supernatural story involving Saint Peter and a selfish woman. This explanation of a natural creature through a traditional moral tale is a key characteristic of a legend.
Q5. What is the message/moral of the poem?
Answer: The central message of the poem is that greed and selfishness are serious moral failings that deserve punishment. A person who refuses to share even a small amount of food with someone who is hungry and in need is unworthy of the comforts of human life. The poem teaches that generosity, compassion, and sharing are essential human virtues. When a person is as selfish as the woman in the poem — who could not part with even a wafer-thin cake for a weary, fasting traveller — they bring divine punishment upon themselves. The moral is: true happiness and a worthy life come from giving and sharing, not from hoarding and greed.
Q6. Is the story in the poem true? How do we know?
Answer: No, the story in the poem is not literally true. The poet herself tells us this: “I don’t suppose it’s true.” It is a legend — a traditional tale. However, the poet says that even if the story is not factually true, it contains a lesson that is true and valuable. The story uses supernatural elements (Saint Peter walking on earth, a woman being transformed into a bird) that are clearly fictional. It is a moral tale meant to teach about the consequences of greed and selfishness, not a historical account.
Q7. What are the poetic devices used in this poem?
Answer: The poem uses several poetic devices:
- Ballad form: The poem is written as a ballad — a narrative poem with a regular rhyme scheme (ABCB in alternating stanzas) and a story-like structure.
- Repetition: “boring and boring and boring” — the repetition emphasises the woodpecker’s endless, tiresome labour.
- Simile: “The children look like bear’s cubs / In their funny little clothes” — the children’s thick clothing is compared to the fur of bear cubs.
- Alliteration: “baking them on the hearth”, “boring and boring”
- Imagery: Vivid images of the cold Northland, the cosy hearth, the chimney fire, and the black-and-red woodpecker.
- Irony: The woman’s justification — that the cake looks too small when she eats it but too large to give away — is deeply ironic and highlights her selfishness.
- Metaphor: The woodpecker’s narrow house in a tree trunk is a metaphor for the punishment of a cramped, meagre life in contrast to the comfortable human home she gave up.
Additional Questions and Answers
Short Answer Questions
Q1. Who is the poet of “A Legend of the Northland”?
Answer: The poet is Phoebe Cary (1824–1871), an American poet. She was born in Ohio and was known for her ballads and lyric poems. She often collaborated with her sister Alice Cary. “A Legend of the Northland” is one of her most famous works.
Q2. What is a ballad? How does this poem fit the form of a ballad?
Answer: A ballad is a type of narrative poem that tells a story, often in a simple, song-like form with a regular rhyme scheme and rhythm. Ballads typically deal with dramatic or supernatural events and carry a moral lesson. “A Legend of the Northland” fits the ballad form because it narrates a complete story (of Saint Peter and the greedy woman), uses a regular ABCB rhyme scheme across stanzas, has a simple and musical rhythm, and delivers a clear moral message.
Q3. Why were the children of the Northland compared to bear cubs?
Answer: Because the Northland is extremely cold, children there had to wear very thick, heavy, and bulky clothing to stay warm. This heavy winter gear made them look round and furry, similar to young bear cubs. The comparison is a simile that humorously captures the appearance of children bundled up against the Arctic cold.
Q4. Why was Saint Peter faint?
Answer: Saint Peter was faint (weak and exhausted) because he had been fasting — he had not eaten anything all day. He had been travelling and preaching, and by the time he reached the woman’s cottage, he was very hungry and weak. That is why he humbly asked her for just a single cake.
Q5. Why could the woman not give any cake to Saint Peter?
Answer: The woman was deeply greedy and selfish. Every time she baked a cake for him, she felt it was too large to give away. She made smaller and smaller cakes — finally one as thin as a wafer — but still could not part with any of them. Her selfishness was so extreme that even the tiniest amount felt too valuable to share. She justified her behaviour by telling herself that cakes always seemed large when she gave them away but small when she ate them herself.
Q6. What happened to the woman when she flew up through the chimney?
Answer: When the woman flew up through the chimney as a result of Saint Peter’s curse, she passed through the fire and flames. The fire burned all her clothing black. Only her scarlet (bright red) cap was left unchanged. She came out of the top of the chimney as a woodpecker — transformed from a human being into a bird, with a red head and a black body, which is exactly how woodpeckers appear today.
Q7. How does the poem explain the appearance of the woodpecker?
Answer: The poem explains that the woodpecker is actually the transformed form of the selfish woman. Her clothes were burned black as she flew through the chimney fire, but her red cap remained unchanged. This is why the woodpecker has a bright red head and a black body. The bird’s habit of boring into hard wood all day long is the punishment Saint Peter gave her — to build her home by boring and to find her food by boring into dry wood — just as a woodpecker does in real life.
Q8. What does the phrase “scanty food” and “narrow house” tell us about the woodpecker’s life?
Answer: These phrases describe the punishment that Saint Peter imposed on the greedy woman. “Scanty food” means very little food — barely enough to survive — while “narrow house” refers to the small hole the woodpecker bores in a tree trunk to live in. This is a stark contrast to the comfortable human life the woman once enjoyed, with a warm hearth, shelter, and a store of cakes. The punishment reflects poetic justice: she who refused to share even the smallest cake now lives with the least — barely enough food and the narrowest of homes.
Long Answer Questions
Q1. Describe the Northland as it is presented in the poem. What kind of life do the people there lead?
Answer: The Northland, as described in the poem, is a land of extreme cold and harsh climate situated very far to the north. The days there are very short — only a few hours of daylight — and the winter nights are so long that even the people cannot sleep through them entirely. The landscape is blanketed in snow. For transportation, the people harness swift reindeer to sledges (snow vehicles) and travel across the frozen terrain. The cold is so severe that children must wear extremely thick, heavy clothing that makes them look like funny little bear cubs.
Despite the harshness of the climate, the people of the Northland have their own way of life — they tell stories and legends among themselves, passed down through generations. These stories carry moral lessons. The poem presents the Northland as a remote, almost magical world, far removed from ordinary life, which makes it a fitting setting for a legend. People there live close to nature, dependent on animals like reindeer, and endure difficult conditions with resilience.
Q2. Narrate the story of “A Legend of the Northland” in your own words, bringing out the moral clearly.
Answer: Long ago, when Saint Peter walked the earth as a preacher, he came to the cottage of a little woman in the cold Northland. The woman was baking cakes on her hearth. Saint Peter was very hungry after fasting all day, and he humbly asked her for just one cake. The woman said she would bake one for him, but every cake she made seemed too large to give away. She made a smaller one — but that also seemed too large. She then rolled out a tiny piece of dough as thin as a wafer, but even that she could not give him. She kept telling herself that any cake looked too small when she ate it herself but too large to give away.
Saint Peter was greatly angered by her extreme selfishness. He cursed her, saying she was too selfish to live as a human being with the comforts of food, warmth, and shelter. He condemned her to live like a bird — boring into hard, dry wood all day to find her food and to build her home. At that very moment, the woman flew up through the chimney. The flames burned all her clothing black, but her red cap remained. She emerged from the top of the chimney as a woodpecker.
The moral of the story is clear: selfishness and greed are unworthy of a human being. The woman had warmth, food, and a comfortable home, but refused to share the smallest morsel with a weary, hungry traveller. Her punishment was to lose all those comforts and live the hard life of a woodpecker — boring into dry wood for scanty food, in a narrow hole in a tree. The poem teaches that generosity and compassion are the true marks of humanity, and those who are incapable of sharing are undeserving of human privileges.
Q3. “A Legend of the Northland” uses a legend to teach a lesson. Do you think using a story or legend is an effective way to teach moral values? Explain with reference to the poem.
Answer: Yes, using a story or legend is a highly effective way to teach moral values, and “A Legend of the Northland” demonstrates this beautifully. A direct statement like “Do not be greedy” is easy to ignore. But when the same message is delivered through a vivid, engaging story with real characters, dramatic events, and a memorable outcome, it stays in the listener’s mind far longer.
In this poem, Phoebe Cary uses the legend of the selfish woman and Saint Peter to make the lesson against greed unforgettable. The reader watches the woman’s greed grow from one failed attempt at generosity to the next, feeling increasingly frustrated by her selfishness. When Saint Peter finally loses patience and curses her, the punishment feels both dramatic and just. The transformation into a woodpecker — with the red cap and black body corresponding to real-world details — makes the story feel connected to the natural world around us.
The poet wisely acknowledges that the story may not be literally true (“I don’t suppose it’s true”), but insists that the lesson it carries is real and valuable. This blend of imaginative storytelling with a sincere moral message is what makes legends such effective teaching tools across cultures and generations. The legend format also allows children and adults alike to engage with complex moral ideas through the entertaining medium of story.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
Q1. Who is the poet of “A Legend of the Northland”?
(a) Walt Whitman (b) Phoebe Cary (c) Robert Frost (d) William Blake
Answer: (b) Phoebe Cary
Q2. What type of poem is “A Legend of the Northland”?
(a) Sonnet (b) Ode (c) Ballad (d) Elegy
Answer: (c) Ballad
Q3. What was the woman doing when Saint Peter came to her cottage?
(a) Cooking soup (b) Spinning wool (c) Baking cakes (d) Reading a book
Answer: (c) Baking cakes
Q4. Why was Saint Peter faint when he came to the woman’s door?
(a) He was ill (b) He had been fasting all day (c) He had walked too far (d) It was very cold
Answer: (b) He had been fasting all day
Q5. The woman finally baked a cake as thin as a ___.
(a) Paper (b) Leaf (c) Wafer (d) Coin
Answer: (c) Wafer
Q6. Into what creature was the woman transformed?
(a) A crow (b) A sparrow (c) An owl (d) A woodpecker
Answer: (d) A woodpecker
Q7. What colour was the woman’s cap?
(a) Blue (b) Black (c) Scarlet (red) (d) White
Answer: (c) Scarlet (red)
Q8. What was the punishment Saint Peter gave the woman?
(a) She was turned to stone (b) She was sent to prison (c) She was changed into a woodpecker (d) She was made invisible
Answer: (c) She was changed into a woodpecker
Q9. Why did Saint Peter curse the woman?
(a) She insulted him (b) She was too selfish to share even a tiny cake (c) She drove him away (d) She stole from him
Answer: (b) She was too selfish to share even a tiny cake
Q10. The children of the Northland are compared to which animal in the poem?
(a) Polar bears (b) Wolf cubs (c) Bear cubs (d) Baby seals
Answer: (c) Bear cubs
These notes on “A Legend of the Northland” cover all textbook questions, additional questions, and MCQs as per the ASSEB Class 9 English (Beehive) syllabus. For more Class 9 English solutions and other subject notes, visit hslcguru.com.