The sagas tell of king Harald being at a yule feast in Gudbrandsdalen at the Tofti estate, when a Finnish (Sami) giant called Svási arrived and invited him to his hut. In Svási's hut the king was introduced to the giant's daughter Snæfríðr, who poured a drink for him. The king was overcome with lust and wanted to bed her, but Svási would not allow his daughter to be a concubine and so the two were married. Harald is said to have spent all of his time with Snæfríðr and neglected his kingdom. During their three year long marriage she gave birth to four children: Sigurðr hrísi, Hálfdan háleggr, Guðrøðr ljómi and Rǫgnvaldr réttilbeini.[3]
When Snæfríðr suddenly died, Harald was beside himself with grief. Her body was laid in state but it did not decompose or grow pale, giving the appearance that she was sleeping peacefully. Thus Harald sat weeping over her for three years, hoping that she would come back to life. As Harald was troubled by Snæfríðr’s death, so too were his people troubled by his neglect of his duties. At last an old man known as Þorleifr the Wise decided to break the illusion. He convinced the king to leave the chamber where the queen lay and told him that it was not honorable to let the dead lie in the same clothes in which she had perished. Harald agreed to change her clothes, but as soon as his servants moved her body it turned blue and began to smell. Men hurried to prepare a pyre, but before they burned her, toads, snakes and lizards crawled out of her body, and soon thereafter it had mouldered to dust.
When Harald realized Snæfríðr had been a witch he became furious and had all their sons exiled. Since that day Harald became ill-disposed towards magicians. When Rǫgnvaldr followed in his mother's footsteps, Harald sent his most loyal and beloved son Eirikr Bloodaxe to murder him.[3]