Axel Olrik (1864-1917) was a Danish folklorist, a pioneer in the methodical study of oral narrative.

His Principles for Oral Narrative Research, recently translated by K. Wolf and J. Jensen, Bloomington, Ind., 1992, was first published (in Danish) in 1921, after Olrik's early death (Nogle grundsætninger for sagnforskning).

Olrik applied his methods also on the Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus, attempting to reconstruct the sources used by Saxo.