Harald Fairhair or Harald Finehair (Old Norse: Haraldr hárfagri),
(c. 850 – c. 933) was the founder and first king (872 – 930) over Norway.

He succeeded, on the death of his father Halfdan the Black Gudrødsson in A.D.
860, to the sovereignty of several small, and somewhat scattered kingdoms in
Vestfold, which had come into his father's hands through conquest and
inheritance, and lay chiefly in southeast Norway.

The constitution of Norway is, according to a tale, somewhat of a love story.
The tale begins with a marriage proposal that resulted in rejection and scorn
from Gyda, the daughter of a neighbouring king. She said she refused to marry
Harald "before he was king over all of Norway". Harald was therefore induced
to take a vow not to cut nor comb his hair until he was sole king of Norway,
and that ten years later, he was justified in trimming it; whereupon he
exchanged the epithet "Shockhead" or "Tanglehair" for the one by which he is
usually known.

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