ProtoNorse

Proto-Norse is the earliest stage of the North Germanic languages, spoken in Scandinavia roughly from the 1st to the 8th centuries CE. It is the immediate ancestor of Old Norse and, by extension, of the modern North Germanic languages: Icelandic, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, and Faroese. The term is used by linguists to describe the common features of the North Germanic branch before the emergence of the distinct Old Norse dialects.

Most of what is known about Proto-Norse comes from runic inscriptions, especially those written in the Elder Futhark and transitional forms, as well as from comparative studies of later Old Norse dialects. The surviving corpus is fragmentary, consisting mainly of names, short inscriptions on stone or metal, and a few extended texts in later periods that preserve earlier forms. This evidence, together with linguistic reconstruction, helps outline the phonology and grammar of the stage.

Linguistically, Proto-Norse marks the beginning of characteristics that would distinguish North Germanic from other Germanic branches. During its development, the North Germanic languages began to diverge into East Norse and West Norse, a process that accelerated toward the Old Norse period in the early medieval era. This diversification underlies the later regional varieties, including Icelandic, which is noted for preserving more archaic features, and the continental Scandinavian languages, which evolved into Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian.

Proto-Norse thus represents a pivotal transitional phase, linking Proto-Germanic to the medieval North Germanic languages and to the cultural and linguistic landscape of the Viking Age.