King Harald, one winter, went about in guest-quarters in the Uplands,
and had ordered a Christmas feast to be prepared for him at the farm
Thoptar. On Christmas eve came Svase to the door, just as the king went
to table, and sent a message to the king to ask if he would go out with
him. The king was angry at such a message, and the man who had brought
it in took out with him a reply of the king's displeasure. But Svase,
notwithstanding, desired that his message should be delivered a second
time; adding to it, that he was the Fin whose hut the king had promised
to visit, and which stood on the other side of the ridge. Now the king
went out, and promised to go with him, and went over the ridge to his
hut, although some of his men dissuaded him. There stood Snaefrid, the
daughter of Svase, a most beautiful girl; and she filled a cup of
mead for the king. But he took hold both of the cup and of her hand.
Immediately it was as if a hot fire went through his body; and he wanted
that very night to take her to his bed. But Svase said that should not
be unless by main force, if he did not first make her his lawful
wife. Now King Harald made Snaefrid his lawful wife, and loved her so
passionately that he forgot his kingdom, and all that belonged to his
high dignity. They had four sons: the one was Sigurd Hrise; the others
Halfdan Haleg, Gudrod Ljome and Ragnvald Rettilbeine. Thereafter
Snaefrid died; but her corpse never changed, but was as fresh and red
as when she lived. The king sat always beside her, and thought she
would come to life again. And so it went on for three years that he
was sorrowing over her death, and the people over his delusion. At
last Thorleif the Wise succeeded, by his prudence, in curing him of his
delusion by accosting him thus:--"It is nowise wonderful, king, that
thou grievest over so beautiful and noble a wife, and bestowest costly
coverlets and beds of down on her corpse, as she desired; but these
honours fall short of what is due, as she still lies in the same
clothes. It would be more suitable to raise her, and change her dress."
As soon as the body was raised in the bed all sorts of corruption and
foul smells came from it, and it was necessary in all haste to gather a
pile of wood and burn it; but before this could be done the body turned
blue, and worms, toads, newts, paddocks, and all sorts of ugly reptiles
came out of it, and it sank into ashes. Now the king came to his
understanding again, threw the madness out of his mind, and after that
day ruled his kingdom as before. He was strengthened and made joyful by
his subjects, and his subjects by him and the country by both.