Hjalti
Chieftain of Hjaltadal attested in Grettir's Saga and Njal's Saga.
Hjalti appears across two major saga traditions as a figure of substance and resolve. In Grettir's Saga, he is introduced with full genealogical credentials as "Hjalti, the son of Thord, the son of Hjalti, the son of Thord Skalp," living at Hof in Hjaltadal, where he was "a great chief, very distinguished and very popular" (Grettir's Saga, Chapter LXX). In Njal's Saga, a figure identified as Hjallti Skeggi's son emerges as a man of principle who pledges his support to Njal and proves willing to act on it.
The two saga traditions construct Hjalti differently. Grettir's Saga presents him as a regional power in Skagafjord, established through a careful four-generation genealogy that roots his authority in lineage (Grettir's Saga, Chapter LXX). His role at the Thing at Hegranes shows him exercising judicial authority directly -- when a dispute arises, Hjalti intervenes with "It shall not be so; we will hold" (Grettir's Saga, Chapter LXXII). He reappears in connection with the final events of Grettir's life (Grettir's Saga, Chapter LXXXII), placing him among the witnesses to that saga's climax.
Njal's Saga gives Hjallti a different kind of authority: moral rather than territorial. His pledge to Njal is framed as a conscious act of loyalty: "I will show that I am not blackhearted; Njal has asked me for help, and I have agreed to it" (Njal's Saga, Chapter 117). During the legal proceedings he pushes for immediate action -- "Then we will plead it at once" -- only to be counselled to patience by Thorhall Asgrim's son, whose procedural shrewdness he acknowledges (Njal's Saga, Chapter 120). After the burning, Hjallti participates in carrying the bodies to the church and takes Kari home with him (Njal's Saga, Chapter 131), confirming his role as a man who follows through on commitments.
The earlier attestation concerning the "Boiling Kettle" episode shows Hjallti's characteristic defiance: despite having been outlawed for blasphemy, he joins the party at the Althing, declaring "he would not let the heathen men see that he was afraid of them" (Njal's Saga, Chapter 100).
Appears in: Beings, Cross-Source Entities, Entities in Grettir's Saga, Entities in Njál's Saga, Norse Tradition
On trail: Genealogies