Þorkell Þjóstarson

Thorkell Þjóstarson is the worldly, well-travelled Westfjords chieftain whose backing makes the impossible lawsuit of Hrafnkels saga possible. When the poor old Þorbjörn and his nephew Sám come seeking allies to prosecute the mighty Hrafnkell — a hopeless errand for two weak men — it is Thorkell, lately returned from abroad with a taste for a good fight and a sharp eye for his brother's interests, who decides to take up their cause and brings his powerful brother Þorgeir's force behind it. His motives are a saga-realistic mix of justice, mischief, and the chance to humble a great chieftain. Without Thorkell's worldly backing the small men could never have toppled the great one at the Thing. He is the saga's image of the patron-ally — the powerful, slightly bored chieftain whose decision to lend his weight to an underdog's cause is what turns a hopeless suit into a chieftain's fall.