Complete story — includes the ending
As a baby, Santa Claus is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World (a supreme immortal) and placed in the care of the lioness Shiegra, but he thereupon is adopted by the wood nymph Necile.
Upon reaching young adulthood, Claus is introduced by Ak to human society, wherein he sees war, poverty, and child neglect. Because he cannot reside in Burzee as an adult, he settles in the nearby Laughing Valley of Hohaho where the immortals regularly assist him and Peter Knook gives him a little cat named Blinky.
In the Laughing Valley, Claus becomes known for kindness toward children. On one occasion, his neighbors' son Weekum visits him. Having made an image of Blinky to pass the time, Claus presents him with the finished carving, which thereby becomes the first toy in existence. Soon, the immortals begin assisting him in the production of other carvings, by bringing supplies and giving advice. The Ryls, for example, bring him the pigments they use to color flowers so he can start painting the toys (the first toy was not colored). When he makes a clay figure reminiscent of Necile, he proclaims it a "dolly" to evade naming Necile to the children ("doll" results when children shorten the name). Claus presents the first one to Bessie Blithesome, a local noblewoman, after consulting with Necile and the queen of the fairies about whether he should give toys to wealthy children. Later dolls resemble Bessie herself and, later still, infants.
The awgwas, evil beings who can turn invisible, steal the toys that Claus is giving to the children because the toys are preventing the children from misbehaving. They first attempt to kill Claus; when Claus's immortal friends rescue him, they settle for preventing his toy deliveries. This continues until Ak declares war upon them after failing to get them to cease their attacks. With the aid of the Asiatic dragons, the three-eyed giants of Tartary, the goozzle-goblins, and the black demons from Patalonia, the awgwas believe their might superior to that of the immortals as they meet them in battle. The awgwas and their allies are destroyed by their opponents with Ak killing the awgwa king while the remaining giants of Tartary retreat. Claus is not present for any of the battle. When it is concluded, Ak tells him that "the awgwas have perished".
The following winter, Claus is aided by two deer named Glossie and Flossie, who pull him in a sleigh full of toys because he cannot walk through the deep snow. They journey by night, as Will Knook will not grant the deer permission to leave Burzee by day. When Claus is unable to enter locked doors, he descends through chimneys to leave toys behind. As Claus continues giving gifts, he earns the title "Santa" ("Saint" in most Romance languages).
Because the deer return to Burzee one minute after sunrise, Will Knook threatens them with punishment. Ak negotiates between Claus and the Knooks, with the result that Claus can continue to use deer, but only once a year, on Christmas Eve. This date was chosen by the Knook Prince to delay Claus by a year, as it was only ten days before the holiday and he had no toys left, but the fairies solve this by retrieving the toys the awgwas stole and bringing them to Claus. The gnome king, who wants toys for his children, trades a string of sleigh bells for each toy given by Claus.
Claus sees stockings placed by the fire to dry as a good place for his surprises, but when he finds a family (sometimes taken to be Native Americans, or caricatures of the same) living in a tent with no fireplaces, he puts the gifts on the branches of a tree that he places just outside the tent.
When Claus is an old man, the immortals realize he is near the end of his life. A council headed by Ak (Master Woodsman of the World), Bo (Master Mariner of the World), and Kern (Master Husbandman of the World) gather together other immortals to decide the fate of Santa Claus. After much debate, he is granted immortality just as the spirit of death comes for him.
At the end of the book, the immortal Santa Claus takes on four special deputies: Wisk the fairy, Peter the knook, Kilter the pixie, and Nuter the ryl.
Baum's short follow-up, "A Kidnapped Santa Claus", further develops his relationship with his deputies, who must work in his place when Claus is captured by five daemons. Later, children's parents and various toy-making companies take part in gift-giving, and Santa Claus withdraws to his valley.
Upon reaching young adulthood, Claus is introduced by Ak to human society, wherein he sees war, poverty, and child neglect. Because he cannot reside in Burzee as an adult, he settles in the nearby Laughing Valley of Hohaho where the immortals regularly assist him and Peter Knook gives him a little cat named Blinky.
In the Laughing Valley, Claus becomes known for kindness toward children. On one occasion, his neighbors' son Weekum visits him. Having made an image of Blinky to pass the time, Claus presents him with the finished carving, which thereby becomes the first toy in existence. Soon, the immortals begin assisting him in the production of other carvings, by bringing supplies and giving advice. The Ryls, for example, bring him the pigments they use to color flowers so he can start painting the toys (the first toy was not colored). When he makes a clay figure reminiscent of Necile, he proclaims it a "dolly" to evade naming Necile to the children ("doll" results when children shorten the name). Claus presents the first one to Bessie Blithesome, a local noblewoman, after consulting with Necile and the queen of the fairies about whether he should give toys to wealthy children. Later dolls resemble Bessie herself and, later still, infants.
The awgwas, evil beings who can turn invisible, steal the toys that Claus is giving to the children because the toys are preventing the children from misbehaving. They first attempt to kill Claus; when Claus's immortal friends rescue him, they settle for preventing his toy deliveries. This continues until Ak declares war upon them after failing to get them to cease their attacks. With the aid of the Asiatic dragons, the three-eyed giants of Tartary, the goozzle-goblins, and the black demons from Patalonia, the awgwas believe their might superior to that of the immortals as they meet them in battle. The awgwas and their allies are destroyed by their opponents with Ak killing the awgwa king while the remaining giants of Tartary retreat. Claus is not present for any of the battle. When it is concluded, Ak tells him that "the awgwas have perished".
The following winter, Claus is aided by two deer named Glossie and Flossie, who pull him in a sleigh full of toys because he cannot walk through the deep snow. They journey by night, as Will Knook will not grant the deer permission to leave Burzee by day. When Claus is unable to enter locked doors, he descends through chimneys to leave toys behind. As Claus continues giving gifts, he earns the title "Santa" ("Saint" in most Romance languages).
Because the deer return to Burzee one minute after sunrise, Will Knook threatens them with punishment. Ak negotiates between Claus and the Knooks, with the result that Claus can continue to use deer, but only once a year, on Christmas Eve. This date was chosen by the Knook Prince to delay Claus by a year, as it was only ten days before the holiday and he had no toys left, but the fairies solve this by retrieving the toys the awgwas stole and bringing them to Claus. The gnome king, who wants toys for his children, trades a string of sleigh bells for each toy given by Claus.
Claus sees stockings placed by the fire to dry as a good place for his surprises, but when he finds a family (sometimes taken to be Native Americans, or caricatures of the same) living in a tent with no fireplaces, he puts the gifts on the branches of a tree that he places just outside the tent.
When Claus is an old man, the immortals realize he is near the end of his life. A council headed by Ak (Master Woodsman of the World), Bo (Master Mariner of the World), and Kern (Master Husbandman of the World) gather together other immortals to decide the fate of Santa Claus. After much debate, he is granted immortality just as the spirit of death comes for him.
At the end of the book, the immortal Santa Claus takes on four special deputies: Wisk the fairy, Peter the knook, Kilter the pixie, and Nuter the ryl.
Baum's short follow-up, "A Kidnapped Santa Claus", further develops his relationship with his deputies, who must work in his place when Claus is captured by five daemons. Later, children's parents and various toy-making companies take part in gift-giving, and Santa Claus withdraws to his valley.
Sources and content license
Source and revision history ↗ · Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. HTML and reference formatting removed; headings adjusted. · Content license