Who spoke the Norse language?

The Norse language was spoken by the Norse people who lived in Scandinavia, primarily in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, during the Viking Age (8th-11th centuries) and beyond.

Here's a breakdown:

* Old Norse: This was the language spoken by the Vikings and is the ancestor of modern Scandinavian languages. It was spoken in a wide geographic area encompassing Scandinavia and Norse settlements in places like Iceland, the British Isles, and parts of Russia.

* Modern Scandinavian languages: The descendants of Old Norse, including Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish, are still spoken today.

So, while the term "Norse" encompasses all speakers of Old Norse, it's important to remember that this language evolved and diversified, ultimately giving rise to the modern Scandinavian languages we know today.