Every great fantasy needs a worthy villain. In The Rise of Nicholas the Noble, UK readers meet Gangleri, the first true villain to emerge in the Santaverse and perhaps the most complex character revealed so far.
Unlike the honourable elves and well-intentioned creatures we have come to know in tales from One True North, Gangleri is something else entirely. He is not interested in joy or spirit. He does not seek the good of others. Gangleri craves power and believes that controlling all knowledge will give it to him.
The Hoarder of Knowledge
Where elves and Lumincients devote themselves to learning and sharing, Gangleri twists this impulse into something darker: a fixation with hoarding knowledge.
As Fisbee explains in the novel:
“Some people collect stuffed animals. Others buy too many pumpkin spice products every fall… For Gangleri, it was knowledge.”
But this was not wisdom or generosity. Gangleri gathered secrets, believing that if he alone possessed every truth, he could shape the world’s destiny.
This dangerous obsession drives him to covet the Lumistella Stone, the celestial source of all Christmas magic. To him, it isn’t a symbol of spirit, it’s a weapon of control.
Obsessed, Ruthless, and Unrelenting
Throughout The Rise of Nicholas the Noble, Gangleri becomes an ever-present threat. He leads an army of Lightalfs, holds creatures like Barry and Radnow captive, and shadows Nicholas’s path through shape-shifting and his raven spies, Huginn and Muninn.
He commands seidr magic, a sinister power that lets him take animal forms, from bats to snowy owls, to stalk, strike, and vanish. His transformations unsettle allies and enemies alike.
But beneath the power lies something more dangerous: certainty. Gangleri does not question his right to take what he wants. He sees himself as chosen.
“The Stone knows that I am its destiny! It chooses me! The knowledge of the gods is finally mine!”
—Gangleri, blinded by ambition
A Villain Worthy of a Hero
When Nicholas and the Lumincients finally face him, the clash is fierce and symbolic. Nicholas fights for light, truth, and the Spirit of Christmas. Gangleri fights for dominance over what others may know and believe.
Gangleri is cunning, strategic, and extremely dangerous in battle. But Nicholas, strengthened by truth and humility, doesn’t meet him with anger. Instead, he makes a surprising choice—one that changes everything.
Gangleri’s Encounter with the Lumistella Stone
One of the most powerful scenes comes when Gangleri reaches the ark of the Lumistella Stone. Convinced his victory is at hand, he grasps for its power.
What follows is extraordinary.
“The light enveloping him vanished… Gangleri fell to his knees like a puppet with its strings cut.”
The stone does not destroy Gangleri, but it also does not bend to him. Instead, it reveals something no reader (or even narrator!) fully understands. Only Gangleri himself could understand the truth of his condition. And that is just what the Stone shows him.
“His ecstatic smile wavered, then vanished, replaced by a long look of dawning horror… ‘What have I done?’”
The Lumistella Stone shows Gangleri not what he wants, but perhaps what he could have wanted. Or what he will become, if he does not change. It is a moment of raw, emotional power. He weeps. He doesn’t fight back. But what will it mean for Gangleri? Could he really ever be anything other than the villain we’ve already seen him to be?
Fisbee leaves readers wondering:
“Some say Gangleri saw what he could have been if he took a different path. Others say he experienced the blinding power of love and kindness… But whatever he saw, it moved him,”
A Villain with Depth
What makes Gangleri compelling is not just his menace, but his humanity. He wasn’t always consumed by cruelty. His obsession stems from something recognisable: the fear of being left behind, of lacking power when others hold it.
There are whispers in the story…hints that Gangleri may once have shared something with Mother Earth, perhaps even love. The truth of their relationship remains a mystery. But his brokenness, revealed in that final moment, suggests that he might not be entirely lost to begin with.
What Gangleri Teaches Us
In literature, the best villains aren’t evil for evil’s sake. They mirror the fears we all wrestle with: control, insecurity, the need to feel important. Gangleri is a cautionary tale: a reminder that knowledge without compassion can corrupt and that even powerful beings can be humbled by the gentle Spirit of Christmas.
Gangleri is the first great villain of the North Pole. And because of him, Nicholas’ rise to lead the Kingdom becomes even more meaningful.
What Comes Next?
Though his fate at the end of the book is uncertain, one thing is clear: Gangleri’s story has shifted the Santaverse forever. His actions have tested the elves, shaken the balance of One True North, and revealed the deeper strength of a boy destined to become Santa Claus.
Whether or not he returns, the shadow of Gangleri will linger.
