When she arrives at her father’s home she announces in a loud voice; I have had no evening meal, nor will I do so until I go to join Freyja.
Soon she tricks Egil into eating dulse (or edible seaweed) by telling him that it would make him feel worse and that it was bad for him.
Now I want us to stay alive, father, long enough for you to compose a poem in Bodvar’s memory and I will carve it on a rune-stick.
I doubt whether your son Thorstein would ever compose a poem for Bodvar, and it is unseemly if his memory is not honoured, because I do not expect us to be sitting there at the feast when it is.
[4] Egil, who was known for his poetry, composed a poem in honor of his deceased son, and in doing so soon began to recover from his grief.
[8] Thorgerd’s quest for vengeance even drives her to accompany the party that sets out to kill Bolli in retaliation for Kjartan.
She states that “No one knows better than I do that it is likely my sons will require some urging yet.”[9] When Bolli was cornered, Thorgerd “urged them not to hesitate to finish Bolli off and put some space between trunk and head.” [10] Thorgerd Egilssdottir also makes an appearance in The Saga of Gunnlaug Serpent-Tongue (Gunnlaugs saga ormstungu).
This saga tells the tale of two men competing for Helga the Fair, Egil Skallagrimsson’s granddaughter and Thorgerd’s niece.
His wife Jofrid secretly had the girl sent to Thorgerd to raise, while telling her husband Thorstein that she had followed his wishes.
Thorgerd Egilsdottir fits a common character archetype in Norse sagas; the female inciter.
In Scandinavian society at the time, women were unable to physically seek vengeance; therefore they used the means at their disposal, namely words and influence, to accomplish their goals.