Pallantides
05-27-2010, 09:22 PM
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King Harald Fairhair met the Sami woman Snøfrid when he was celebrating Yule at the Tofte farm at the foot of the Dovre mountains. This is recorded in Snorre’s sagas of the Norse kings. Dovre has a central place in the oldest myths about Norway and the origins of its people, heroes, kings and chieftain families. In the Middle Ages pilgrims from all over Europe passed through this area on their way to Nidaros.
25. One winter king Harald went to stay in Uppland and arranged a Yule-celebration for himself on the farm Tofte. On Christmas Eve, as the king sat at table, Svaasi came to the doorway. He sent a word to the king to come out to see him, but the king became annoyed over the message, and the same messenger brought the king’s anger back to Svaasi. But Svaasi asked undisturbed that they should bring the message once again, and said that he was the finn (sami), who the king had allowed to raise a lodge on the other side of the hill.
The king went outside and promised to visit him, and went over the hill to his lodge. Some of his men told him to go, while others advised him not to go.
At his arrival, Svaasi’s beautiful daughter, Snöfrid, stood up, and filled a bowl to the rim with mead, but the king grabbed it all: the bowl as well as her hands, and straight away he felt a heat burning like fire in his body, and straight away he wanted to sleep with her that very same night.
But Svaasi said that he would not give his blessing unless they became legally engaged. Then the king engaged Snöfrid and received her and loved her so madly that he did not care about his kingdom, nor how a king is supposed to behave.
They had four sons: Sigurd Rise, Halvdan Hálegg, Gudröd Ljome and Rognvald Rettilbeine.
Then Snöfrid died, but she did not change hue at all. She looked just as healthy as when she was alive. The king constantly watched over her, hoping that she would wake up eventually.
In this way three winters went by. The king mourned Snöfrid’s death, while the entire country worried about the king’s mental health. But finally Torleiv Spake arrived to heal him, and he did so by first addressing the king:
”It is no wonder, my king, that you mourn such a beautiful and noble woman, and that you honour her on down and silk, like she asked you to. But your noble gesture, and her honour, is diminished by letting her lie on the same bedding for too long, and it would be a good idea to move her and change her beddings.”
But as soon as they moved her from the bed, a disgusting smell spread from her body. They hastened to build a fire to burn her – but in the meantime her entire body turned blue, and worms, reptiles, frogs and amphibians and all sorts of nasty serpents came out of her.
In this manner she sank into ashes, but Harald rose again from his insanity and came to his senses. And he rejoiced with his men and they with him, and the kingdom flourished again.
Source: Snorri Sturlason's Heimskringla
http://www.topoftheworld.nu/billeder/19ed932352059af3bbb4b94efdab81f2.jpg
King Harald Fairhair met the Sami woman Snøfrid when he was celebrating Yule at the Tofte farm at the foot of the Dovre mountains. This is recorded in Snorre’s sagas of the Norse kings. Dovre has a central place in the oldest myths about Norway and the origins of its people, heroes, kings and chieftain families. In the Middle Ages pilgrims from all over Europe passed through this area on their way to Nidaros.
25. One winter king Harald went to stay in Uppland and arranged a Yule-celebration for himself on the farm Tofte. On Christmas Eve, as the king sat at table, Svaasi came to the doorway. He sent a word to the king to come out to see him, but the king became annoyed over the message, and the same messenger brought the king’s anger back to Svaasi. But Svaasi asked undisturbed that they should bring the message once again, and said that he was the finn (sami), who the king had allowed to raise a lodge on the other side of the hill.
The king went outside and promised to visit him, and went over the hill to his lodge. Some of his men told him to go, while others advised him not to go.
At his arrival, Svaasi’s beautiful daughter, Snöfrid, stood up, and filled a bowl to the rim with mead, but the king grabbed it all: the bowl as well as her hands, and straight away he felt a heat burning like fire in his body, and straight away he wanted to sleep with her that very same night.
But Svaasi said that he would not give his blessing unless they became legally engaged. Then the king engaged Snöfrid and received her and loved her so madly that he did not care about his kingdom, nor how a king is supposed to behave.
They had four sons: Sigurd Rise, Halvdan Hálegg, Gudröd Ljome and Rognvald Rettilbeine.
Then Snöfrid died, but she did not change hue at all. She looked just as healthy as when she was alive. The king constantly watched over her, hoping that she would wake up eventually.
In this way three winters went by. The king mourned Snöfrid’s death, while the entire country worried about the king’s mental health. But finally Torleiv Spake arrived to heal him, and he did so by first addressing the king:
”It is no wonder, my king, that you mourn such a beautiful and noble woman, and that you honour her on down and silk, like she asked you to. But your noble gesture, and her honour, is diminished by letting her lie on the same bedding for too long, and it would be a good idea to move her and change her beddings.”
But as soon as they moved her from the bed, a disgusting smell spread from her body. They hastened to build a fire to burn her – but in the meantime her entire body turned blue, and worms, reptiles, frogs and amphibians and all sorts of nasty serpents came out of her.
In this manner she sank into ashes, but Harald rose again from his insanity and came to his senses. And he rejoiced with his men and they with him, and the kingdom flourished again.
Source: Snorri Sturlason's Heimskringla