The Tales
The Tales of the Saga
The following twelve stories, in chronological order, form the Saga of Noggin the Nog. Clicking on the titles will take you to the tale itself.
King of the Nogs. How Noggin saw the face of his bride on the white bone knife which the green bird had brought him, and how he sailed beyond the black ice at the edge of the world to bring her home from the Land of the Midnight Sun is told in this, the first tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Ice Dragon. How Noggin came to fight the dragon and met its cold breath, how the dragon fled from the smoke of Nogbad's greed, and who it was that carried the cold treasure back to its rightful place are told in this, the second tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Flying Machine. Evil is the magic that floats silently to the land of Nog and the strange, intricate device that Olaf the Lofty and Graculus have devised must be pressed into service sooner than expected. How it serves the Nogs and how it descends at last on the dry Land of Silver Sand to bring justice and happiness to that sad place, and how the dragon himself fights the black smoke in the sky, are told in this, the third tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Omruds. The earth splits and brings new hope to Olaf the Lofty, the inventor for whom everything has already been invented. His fire machine does not bring a Golden Age of leisure and happiness and none but he mourns its extinction as it leaps from the cliff. How the King-under-the-Hill and his little people save the Nogs from the results of Olaf's other scientific follies is told in this, the fourth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Island. How Nogbad the Bad uses a tropical island for his evil purposes and how the crown of the Northlands is saved is told in this, the fifth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Firecake. How Nogbad the Bad takes Olaf's invention to help him in his evil schemes, and how the magic forces he unleashes are more than he can master is told in this, the sixth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Pie. How Noggin's young son Knut manages to prevent this massive masterpiece of pastrycook's art from being set before his father, and what the unsavoury filling is, is told in this, the seventh tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Flowers. "Green Fingers" has Nogbad the Bad and his flowers grow tall and beautiful and very strange. For him the way to achieve his wicked aims lies in his skill and knowledge of the gentle art of gardening. How this knowledge served him and how in the end his own produce came to foil his evil purposes are told in this, the eighth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Game. How the terrible legend of Troldeskow became a game to play in the dark nights of the Northland, and how the game became a dark contest between the forces of good and evil are told in this, the ninth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Monster. How Olaf the Lofty invented a musical instrument so massive that it awoke the denizens of the deep and how Nogbad the Bad used it for his evil purposes and rose to a great height is told in this, the tenth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Blackwash. Culture and classical elegance go with delicate scientific achievement. These are not for the Nogs and when Noggin the Nog brings these virtues from the Southland they do not take to them. Only Nogbad the Bad sees their use. How he takes the chance to turn back the wheels of time and gain at last his heart's desire is told in this, the eleventh tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
The Icebergs. Cold is the ancient enemy of the Northern peoples but, for some, warmth can be an even greater enemy, driving homes from their people and turning them to water. How Nogbad the Bad connected the fire beneath the sea and how Noggin brought land across the ocean to save his kinsmen is told in this, the twelfth tale in the Saga of Noggin the Nog.
Other Stories
As well as the twelve tales that make up the Saga, the following stories were also published as "Starting to Read" books:
The "Nogmania" book also included a number of one-page illustrated monologues, such as the story of:
And there were even a couple of Noggin the Nog stage productions. As well as a staging of The Firecake (q.v.), there was also a play by the name of:
In addition to these tales, further small stories would appear from time to time in children's annuals, such as Pippin. A sample story from one of these annuals is given in: