Thorkel Nefja
King's brother who commanded the Short Serpent in the fleet of the Long Serpent.
Thorkel Nefja was the king's brother who commanded the Short Serpent in the fleet described in the Heimskringla. Alongside him, Thorkel Dydril and Jostein, identified as the king's mother's brothers, commanded the Crane (Heimskringla, Heimskringla > The Chronicle Of The Kings Of Norway > 102. Crew On Board Of The Long Serpent.).
The Heimskringla places Thorkel Nefja within the command structure of the fleet assembled for the fateful voyage of the Long Serpent. His assignment to the Short Serpent -- the second-ranking vessel -- reflects his status as the king's brother. The passage groups him with Thorkel Dydril and Jostein in a single sentence that maps royal kinship onto naval command: brother on the Short Serpent, maternal uncles on the Crane. This compression reveals how family ties directly determined military hierarchy in the saga's account.
On trail: Genealogies