Son of Halfdan the Black
Warrior king
King of Norway and jarldoms of Norway
King under the Mountain
King of Iceland
Master of Götaland
Lord of Scandinavian York
Member of the great heatean army



Harald I, byname Harald Fairhair, or Finehair, Norwegian Harald Hårfager, Old Norse Harald Hárfagri (born c. 850—died c. 933), the first king to claim sovereignty over all Norway. One of the greatest of the 9th-century Scandinavian warrior chiefs, he gained effective control of Norway’s western coastal districts but probably had only nominal authority in the other parts of Norway.


According to traditions current in Norway and Iceland in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, he reigned from c. 872 to 930. Most of his life remains uncertain, since the extant accounts of his life in the sagas were set down in writing around three centuries after his lifetime. A few remnants of skaldic praise poems attributed to contemporary court poets exist which seem to refer to Harald's victories against opponents in Norway. The information supplied in these poems is inconsistent with the tales in the sagas in which they are transmitted, and the sagas themselves often disagree on the details of his background and biography. Two of his sons, Eric Bloodaxe and Haakon the Good, succeeded Harald to become kings after his death.

The only contemporary sources mentioning him are the two skaldic poems Haraldskvæði and Glymdrápa, which have been attributed to Þorbjörn Hornklofi or alternatively (in the case of the first poem) to Þjóðólfr of Hvinir. The first poem has only been preserved in fragments in 13th century Kings' sagas. It describes life at Harald's court, mentions that he took a Danish wife, and that he won a battle at Hafrsfjord. The second relates a series of battles Harald won.

His life is described in several of the Kings' sagas, none of them older than 12th century. Their accounts of Harald and his life differ on many points, and some of the content may be uncertain but it is clear that in the 12th and 13th centuries Harald was regarded as having unified Norway into one kingdom. Some modern historians have assumed that his rule was limited to the coastal areas of southern Norway though there is no contemporary evidence to support their claim nor any other concerning the life of Harald.


Harald was the greatest leader the 9th century Viking warrior. It controlled trade and collected donations traders. He confiscated areas but acknowledged the rights of legislatures. He maintained his support from the Vikings in Northumbria, England, and was only able to claim dominion over all pagans Norway. Under him, the old 9th century Viking civilization reached its climax. Its ideal for a united Norway became immortal.