The paper is based on the Old Icelandic Knýtlinga saga written in the middle of the 13th century, the translation of which I am currently preparing for publication. “Icelandic literature of this age stands on the boundaries of folk art and individual authorship” [Gurevich 1972, p. 6]. The specific feature of the saga genre is that the saga gives the impression of an extremely objective narrative: its author does not tell anything about what he himself, or eyewitnesses, had not seen, does not describe the feelings and aspirations of his heroes, does not invade the text with his own comments and emotions. However, the objectivity of the sagas and the lack of writer intrusion into them are deliberate literary devices. The author, from his position in time and space, is present in this saga with his explanations, references to sources, and judgments. An indepth study of the saga text made it possible to identify all cases of the author's penetration into the narrative, which are divided into: 1) references to sources; 2) the author's remarks, assessments, comments on events and realities of the past; 3) compositional techniques. The author of Knýtlinga saga (probably the Icelander Olafr Pordarson, nicknamed the White Skald) is, without doubt, creatively active and organizes his narrative quite consciously.