Sentence:  A <WSD>thingman</WSD> and chieftain owed each other duties of support. ... The ideal is well stated by Eyjolf to his own <WSD>thingmen</WSD> as he requests their support in his struggles against the Ljosvetning kin group ... 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (One of several) men serving as the army, particularly the mercenary army, (of a specific ruler).