Gunnar of Hildarendi
Perhaps the greatest warrior in the whole saga, Gunnar establishes his might abroad on various raids, and he establishes his honor through wise restraint back home at the Althing. Despite Njal's warning, he marries Hallgerd, which ends up being the cause of his death when his bowstring breaks and she won't lend him a strand of hair.
Njal Thorgeirsson
Njal is one of the few characters with an ability to see the future, and yet it doesn't seem to help him at all. He knows that he and his family will die by getting trapped in their house while it burns, and that's exactly what happens. Hence, the title of the saga is sometimes translated as 'The Saga of the Burning of Njal'. Njal is widely hailed as the wisest character, making it no surprise that he is also the best lawyer in all of Iceland. He is not above using inventive, conniving tactics as a means of helping those who come to him, as we see with Njal's instruction to Gunnar to lie about his identity to summon a case. He fosters two sons and has several biological children as well.
Hrut Herjolfsson
Hrut is one of the first characters introduced in the saga. He marries Unn and then goes abroad, where he has an affair with Queen Gunnhild of Norway, who puts a sexual curse on him. Despite his affair, he is known to be a wise and prescient man. His half-brother is Hoskuld.
Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson
Hoskuld is perhaps best known as the father of the evil Hallgerd. He has a hotter temper than his brother, Hrut.
Hallgerd Hoskuldsdottir
Hallgerd is the tall, beautiful daughter of Hoskuld Dala-Kollsson. She marries Gunnar after hearing about his achievements, but she proves to be a fatal attraction for him. She starts many conflicts with Bergthora, Njal's wife, and even has a neighbor's shed burned down when famine strikes. Gunnar slaps Hallgerd in front of guests when he finds out what she has done. When Gunnar disobeys his sentence of exile, it is Hallgerd's spiteful refusal to lend him a strand of hair that essentially kills him.
Bergthora
Njal's wife, Bergthora, seems to be the most admirable woman in the saga, despite her revenges against Hallgerd in the many back-and-forth killing feuds. She dies with Njal under the cow-skin when the hall burns down.
Valgard the Grey
Valgard, a devious and unpopular man, marries Gunnar's kinswoman, Unn, without Gunnar's permission; he raises their son, Mord Valgardsson, to be one of the most wicked people in the entire saga. He remains a pagan to his death, going so far as to curse all of Mord's Christian objects.
Kolskegg
Kolskegg, brother and sidekick to Gunnar, does not appear in any other sagas, but he plays a peripheral part in all of Gunnar's adventures. He once rests during battle and gulps down a goblet of mead before getting back into the fight.
Otkel Skarfsson
Otkel Skarfsson is a prosperous man with plenty of stores, but he is influenced disproportionately by his shameless friend, Skammkel. He refuses to sell Gunnar any of his hay or bread when famine strikes, even though he has plenty of both. Hallgerd has Otkel's shed burned and his cheese and butter stolen because of this. Later, Otkel's horse runs wild and he accidentally cuts Gunnar's ear with his spur. He is killed by Gunnar later in the saga after much dishonor is brought his way by Skammkel.
Skammkel
Skammkel's role in the saga is basically to drag down his friend Otkel with lies and deceit. He misrepresents the views of Gizur the White and Geir the Godi so that Gunnar will suffer. He also spreads rumors about Gunnar weeping from the infliction of a minor wound. He is killed at the the Ranga River with Otkel and several others.
Mord Valgardsson
Mord instigates the violence that takes up most of the saga. He spreads rumors about hatred between Hoskuld Thrainsson and the Njalssons, which leads to their deaths. In a karmic twist, he is also made to pursue the very case he instigated out of fear for losing his wife and life. His inability to see Eyjolf's trick also incites the battle at Law Rock.
Hoskuld Thrainsson
He is the son of Thrain and foster-son of Njal, who gets him a post in the Fifth Court so that Hildigunn will consent to be his wife. He is killed by the Njalssons while praying in his field.
Hildigunn Starkadardottir
Njal arranges the marriage between Hildigunn and his foster-son Hoskuld Thrainsson by getting Hoskuld a post on the Fifth Court, a court that he also established. When Hoskuld is slain by the Njalssons, Hildigunn places the cloak that he was slain in on her uncle Flosi's shoulders and asks him to pursue revenge. At the very end of the saga, she marries Kari Solumndarson, who is recently widowed after pursuing brutal vengeance on behalf of the Njalssons.
Flosi Thordarson
Flosi leads the attack against Njal after his niece Hildigunn places her dead husband's cloak on his shoulders. He is well received around the kingdom, but pursues the case against the Njalssons in a wicked way, bribing many supporters. He serves his 3-year exile sentence by pilgrimaging to Rome, and he ultimately makes peace with Kari by arranging for him to marry Hildigunn.
Kari Solumndarson
Kari is married to one of Njal's daughters and pursues blood vengeance after escaping the fire at Njal's home, where his young son is killed under the cow-skin with Njal and Bergthora. After Flosi has atoned for the fire, Kari agrees that the burning is avenged, except for his son's death. After both Kari and Flosi return home from separate pilgrimages, they are fully reconciled.
Thorgeir Craigger
Thorgier Craggeir pursues the blood vengeance and settlement of the burning of Njal with Kari. Thorgeir accepts a settlement once they have killed five of the burners through ambush, but Kari rejects it for his son's sake.
Thrain Sigfusson
Thrain Sigfusson is the leader of the Sigfusson clan and therefore the lead antagonist against the the Njalssons after the slaying of Hoskuld Thrainsson. He is a venerable warrior and follower of Norway's Earl Hakon. He hides Killer-Hrapp on his ship despite his allegiance to Hakon, who has put a price on Hrapp's head. Helgi and Grim Njalsson seek a settlement with Thrain, but when they are verbally assaulted, they decide to kill him instead. The result is Skarphedin's epic beheading of Thrain as he jumps across the ice of the Ranga River.
Skarphedin Njalsson
Skarphedin is the oldest, ugliest, and most powerful of Njal's sons. He is skeptical of foresight and cannot get support for his legal causes because of his appearance as 'luckless'. He beheads Thrain and kills many others during the saga.
Eyjolf Bolverk
Eyjolf is one of the three greatest lawyers in Iceland, but relies on deception and is outdone by Thorhall Asgrimsson, a protege of Njal, before the battle at Law Rock. Eyjolf has accepted the gift of a golden bracelet to pursue Flosi's cause, which is illegal. His arrogance in the proceeding most likely gets him killed in the battle, as it leads many to view him negatively.
Thorgeir Starkadarson
Thorgeir is the son of Starkad, who goaded Gunnar into a horse-fight and went on to ambush him and Kolskegg after they were defeated in the horse-fight. Thorgeir is persuaded by Mord Valgardsson to befriend Thorgeir Otkelsson and convince him to attack Gunnar, knowing that Gunnar is the better warrior and Thorgeir will be killed. After Gunnar is killed in a final ambush, the Njalssons seek blood vengeance by killing Starkad and Thorgeir Starkadarson.
Thorgeir Otkelsson
Otkel's son, Thorgeir Otkelsson, takes issue with Gunnar for Hallgerd's actions against his father, but it is only when Thergeir Starkadarson convinces him to ambush Gunnar that he takes action. He is killed because Gunnar is the best warrior in the land.
Hoskuld Njalsson
Not to be confused with Njal's foster-son Hoskuld Thrainsson, Hoskuld Njalsson is one of Njal's biological sons. Lyting, brother-in-law to the late Thrain, is angry that he was not included in Njal's settlement with the Sigfussons, so he takes revenge by killing Hoskuld Njalsson. Later, Hoskuld Njalsson's blind son Amundi asks Lyting for compensation for killing his father, but is rejected. Amundi suddenly regains his sight just long enough to reciprocate the killing by sinking his axe into Lyting's head.
Killer-Hrapp
Hrapp makes enemies with Earl Hakon in Norway after he seduces one of his advisor's daughters. He steals from a temple owned by the earl and escapes on Thrain's boat, promising him the treasures he found. In the end, he hands over nothing and ends up seducing Hallgerd as well once they get to Iceland. The Njalssons ultimately slay him.
Hall of Sida
Father-in-law to Flosi, Hall of Sida plays a peripheral role throughout the saga. He initiates the peaceful settlement that sends Flosi on his three-year exile and the rest of the burners on exile-for-life. He is one of the first converts to Christianity, alongside Njal.
