Oldtidsnordisk

Oldtidsnordisk, also known as Old Norse, is the earliest attested stage of the North Germanic languages. It was spoken in Scandinavia and the Norse settlements during the Viking Age, roughly from the 8th to the 14th centuries. Old Norse is the ancestor of modern Scandinavian languages such as Icelandic, Faroese, Norwegian, Danish, and Swedish.

The language is primarily known from runic inscriptions and a rich body of literature written in the Latin alphabet after the Christianization of Scandinavia. Key literary works include the Poetic Edda and the Prose Edda, which preserve a wealth of Norse mythology, heroic sagas, and historical accounts. The Icelandic sagas, in particular, are invaluable for their detailed narratives and linguistic insights.

Old Norse is divided into two main dialects: Old West Norse, spoken in Norway and the Norse settlements in Iceland, the Faroes, and Greenland, and Old East Norse, spoken in Denmark and Sweden. Old Icelandic, a dialect of Old West Norse, is the best-documented and most studied form of Old Norse due to the extensive literary tradition in Iceland.

The study of Old Norse is crucial for understanding Norse mythology, history, and the development of the North Germanic languages. Its vocabulary and grammatical structures have had a lasting influence on English and other Germanic languages.