Blood-clotted cloak (symbol)
Hoskuld Thrainsson was killed in the scarlet cloak that Flosi had given him as a gift, but it gained symbolic significance when Hallgerd collected it and placed it on Flosi's shoulders. It's the ultimate form of empathy - to wear the clothes that another person died in - and it incites a terrifying change in Flosi's composure. His face changes colors ranging from vividly alive to moribund. It's as much a symbol of the unfairness of life as it is for the brutality of death. Just as the Catholic church reveres the shroud of Jesus, giving it a spiritual significance, so too does Flosi revere his dead foster-son in the presence of his death-cloth.
Triumphant journey abroad (motif)
Many characters take to raiding around the realm as a demonstration of prowess and skill. Hrut, Gunnar, and all the Vikings in the saga gain honor by raiding, but the Vikings never seek to appease the rulers of the kingdoms they invade, so their honor is obviously contingent on the receiving party. Gunnar gains the attraction of the beautiful Hallgerd when he returns for his triumphant journey, and Hrut gains the attraction of the Queen of Norway.
Quests for Support (motif)
Virtually every legal settlement involves a quest for support, though the type of support varies. While Snorri the Godi offered combat backup to Thorhall knowing that the settlement could get ugly, Flosi sought financial and legal support for his defense. When Skarphedin goes around seeking support, people consistently point out how 'luckless' he appears and rescind their support. Only once in the entire saga does somebody not provide support when asked, and it is because he is not a violent man. He must have been very charismatic, because whenever other characters seem reluctant to give support, the worst insults are thrown about. Compensation for the dead can be a hefty price - for many of the burners, it was their lives.
Itinerant Women (motif)
As in many other Icelandic sagas, itinerant women play the important role of disseminating sensitive information. In Njal's Saga, they reveal the movements of enemy armies, predict ambushes, and even help to compose feckless verses about Nja's beardless face. Other characters of this low status are often absent from the narrative entirely, so it is easy to forget that they exist.
Goading for Blood Vengeance (motif)
Unfortunately women's place in this saga seems to be entwined with the rather negative role of goading men into taking revenge. This can initially be thought of as a strong sense of kinship and responsibility to public honor, but the braver response to murder is to declare self-judgment, as we see in the case of Gunnar and Njal. Their wives are extraordinarily persuasive in getting their servants and sons to take up blood vengeance. While the burning of Otkel's barn was certainly a devastating result of goading, perhaps the worst and most memorable example of this is Hallgerd's placing of Hoskuld's bloody cloak over Flosi's shoulders.
