Thorgil Sprakling (also called Torkel Styrbjörnsson, Torgils or Sprakalägg) is claimed by late genealogical traditions to have been the son of the disinherited Swedish prince Styrbjörn the Strong, the son of Olaf, son of Björn, king of Sweden. Styrbjorn's wife, Thyra Haraldsdotter, was the daughter of Harold Bluetooth (king of Denmark and Norway). However, this pedigree may have been concocted to glorify his descendants, who later reigned in Denmark. Alternatively, Saxo Grammaticus reports he was son of a bear.
He died at the Battle of Swold.
His children were Ulf (d. 1027), the Earl of Canute the Great in Denmark and Danish steward, and Gytha Thorkelsdóttir who was to marry Godwin, Earl of Wessex.