The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
L. Frank Baum
 Santa Claus, as a baby is found in the Forest of Burzee by Ak: Master Woodsman of the World, and placed in the care of the lioness, Shiegra. The Wood Nymph, Necile, breaks the law of the forest and takes the baby because she desires to raise a child of her own as mortals do, convincing Ak that since he made the law, he can allow an exception. Necile calls him Claus, meaning "little one" in the old Burzee language, but Queen Zurline gives him the more formal name Neclaus, "Necile's Little One" (According to a footnote "Nicholas" is an erroneous name based on common convention). He is educated by the immortals of the Forest, including: * The Fairies who watch over humans * The Wood Nymphs who watch over trees * The Gnomes who watch over rocks * The Knooks, who watch over animals * Ryls who watch over flowers * Sleep Fays who bring sleep to the world * Light Elves * Sound Imps * Wind Demons * Water Spirits Upon reaching young adulthood, Ak decides it is time for Claus to see how other mortals live. He sees war, brutality, poverty, child neglect and child abuse and is frustrated by mortals' very existence. Ak encourages him not to shy away from the mortals, because he is one, and must learn to live among them, as he cannot reside in Burzee as an adult. He settles in the nearby Laughing Valley of Hohaho, where the immortals regularly visit and assist him, and Necile gives him a little cat named Blinky. He becomes well known for his kind acts toward children. Once a boy named Weekum gets lost in the snow, and aware of Claus's kindness to children, tries to make it to his house, but collapses before he can make it. Claus finds him and gets him inside. When Weekum regains consciousness, he meets Blinky, and wishes he could have a cat, but there is no money to take care of one. Claus happened to have been carving an image of Blinky to pass the time, so when Weekum wakes from further rest, Claus presents him with the finished carving, calling it a "toy". Soon, the immortals begin assisting him, the Ryls coloring the toys with their infinite paint pots (the first toy was not colored). After Little Mayrie becomes frightened by a toy of Shiegra, he vows not to make toys of wild predators. When he makes a clay figure reminiscent of Necile, he proclaims it a "dolly" (in a typically Baumian reversal, "doll" resulted when children shortened the name). Claus presents the first one to Bessie Blithesome, daughter of the Lord of Lerd, after consulting with Necile and the Queen of the Fairies about whether he should give toys to wealthy children. Says the Queen: whether it be rich or poor, a child's longings for pretty playthings are but natural. Rich Bessie's heart may suffer as much grief as poor Mayrie's; she can be just as lonely and discontented, and just as gay and happy. I think, friend Claus, it is your duty to make all little ones glad, whether they chance to live in palaces or in cottages. He frequently tells children stories of his friends among the immortals, albeit with alterations to protect their anonymity, and coins the term &#34;dolly&#34; to avoid saying &#34;Necile&#34;. 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. This leads to Claus making his journeys by night and descending through chimneys when he is unable to enter the locked doors. The Awgwas are crafty and capable of becoming invisible. They thwart so many of Claus&#39;s deliveries that Ak declares war upon them. With the aid of 300 Asiatic Dragons, Three-Eyed Giants of Tatary, Goozzle-Goblins, and Black Demons from Patalonia, the Awgwas believe their might superior to that of the immortals, but the wands of the immortals can turn the evil ones&#39; powers against them, and all are destroyed in their attempts to use them on the immortals. Claus is not present for any of the battle. When it is concluded, Ak tells him simply, &#34;The Awgwas have perished.&#34; As his journeys continue, Claus is aided by two deer named Glossie and Flossie, who cart his sleigh full of toys. With their aid, he reaches the dominions of the Gnome King, who wants toys for his children, but does not believe in the concept of gifts, so he trades a string of sleigh bells for each toy given by Claus. Claus gathers eight more reindeer, as they become called: Racer, Pacer, Fearless, Peerless, Ready, Steady, Feckless, and Speckless, and trades enough toys with the Gnome King to get a string of bells for each one. The ten reindeer working together can make such huge leaps through snow fields that it is almost like flying, though they never actually fly. Wil Knook, guardian of the deer, is not pleased with Claus taking them out each night, and demands a stop. Ak arbitrates their disagreement, and concludes that since the reindeer clearly enjoy helping Claus, that one trip a year is acceptable, and gives Wil Knook the privilege of choosing which day. Wil decides upon Christmas Day, being two weeks away from the hearing, believing that will mean a year without taking the reindeer from their homes, for he fears if they are hurt it will mean he has shirked his responsibility. The Fairies, however, find the hoards of toys the Awgwas stole and bring them back to Claus, allowing Claus&#39;s first Christmas to proceed in spite of Wil Knook. As his fame spread far and wide, he became recognized as a saint, earning the title &#34;Santa&#34; (&#34;Saint&#34; in most Romance languages). Rumors Claus would have disagreed with say that naughtiness will make him stop bringing toys, but Claus "brought toys to the children because they were little and helpless, and because he loved them. He knew that the best of children were sometimes naughty, and that the naughty ones were often good. It is the way with children, the world over, and he would not have changed their natures had he possessed the power to do so. "And that is how our Claus became Santa Claus. It is possible for any man, by good deeds, to enshrine himself as a Saint in the hearts of the people." Claus sees stockings placed by the fire to dry are a good place for his surprises, but when he finds a family (sometimes taken to be Native Americans, sometimes caricatures of the same) living in a tent with no fireplaces and very little of their own, he lops the top off a small tree and places the gifts on the branches of the trees just outside the tent. Once Claus is in his 60s, 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, gathers together the Gnome King, the Queen of the Water Spirits, the King of the Wind Demons, the King of the Ryls, the King of the Knooks, the King of the Sound Imps, the King of the Sleep Fays, the Fairy Queen, Queen Zurline of the Wood Nymphs, and the King of the Light Elves with the Princes Flash and Twilight to decide the fate of Santa Claus. After much debate, the immortals decide that using the Mantle of Immortality on Santa Claus is more appropriate than continuing to wait for someone more worthy, and 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&#39;s short follow-up, &#34;A Kidnapped Santa Claus&#34;, further develops his relationship with his deputies, who must work in his place when Claus is captured by five Daemons.