Ingiald
Figure connected to Thrand the Strider and the Ragnar Lodbrok dynasty through genealogical ties.
Ingiald of the Springs is a figure in Njal's Saga whose story moves from genealogy through betrayal to physical ruin. The son of Thorsteinn Highbankawk (Njal's Saga, 98. Of Thangbrand And Gudleif), he married Thraslauga (Njal's Saga, 115. Of Flosi And Hildigunna) and became entangled in the events surrounding the burning of Njal. His most vivid appearance comes in the aftermath: spotted riding down the far bank of a river, he halted and turned toward Flosi, who declared that Ingiald had "broken faith" and "forfeited life and goods" (Njal's Saga, 129. Skarphedinn's Death). The saga records that a swelling later came on Ingiald's leg, and though he was healed at Hjallti's, "he limped ever afterwards" (Njal's Saga, 131. Njal's And Bergthora's Bones Found).
All six citations come from Njal's Saga, but they cluster into three registers. The genealogical material -- his parentage and marriage -- situates Ingialld within the saga's dense kinship web. The narrative core involves his role in the feud surrounding Njal's burning, where Flosi's accusation of broken faith marks him as a man caught between opposing loyalties. The physical aftermath -- the swelling, the healing, the permanent limp -- serves as a bodily inscription of political failure. The saga does not explain precisely what faith Ingialld broke, leaving the reader to infer from context that he was expected to support Flosi but wavered.
The detail of the limp is characteristic of Njal's Saga's attention to consequence. Where other sagas might leave a minor figure's fate unresolved, this one follows Ingialld to his healing and notes the damage was permanent.
Appears in: Beings, Entities in Njál's Saga, Norse Tradition
On trail: Genealogies