King Hakon had generally his seat in Hordaland and Rogaland, and also
his brothers; but very often, also, they went to Hardanger. One summer
it happened that a vessel came from Iceland belonging to Icelanders, and
loaded with skins and peltry. They sailed to Hardanger, where they heard
the greatest number of people assembled; but when the folks came to deal
with them, nobody would buy their skins. Then the steersman went to King
Harald, whom he had been acquainted with before, and complained of his
ill luck. The king promised to visit him, and did so. King Harald was
very condescending, and full of fun. He came with a fully manned boat,
looked at the skins, and then said to the steersman, "Wilt thou give me
a present of one of these gray-skins?" "Willingly," said the steersman,
"if it were ever so many." On this the king wrapped himself up in a
gray-skin, and went back to his boat; but before they rowed away from
the ship, every man in his suite bought such another skin as the king
wore for himself. In a few days so many people came to buy skins, that
not half of them could be served with what they wanted; and thereafter
the king was called Harald Grafeld (Grayskin).