Goðafoss () is a
waterfall
A waterfall is any point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge
of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in seve ...
in northern
Iceland
Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
. It is located along the country's main ring road at the junction with the
Sprengisandur
Sprengisandur () is a highland plateau in Iceland, defined roughly as the area between the Hofsjökull and Vatnajökull glaciers.
History and etymology
Like Kjölur and Kaldidalur, Sprengisandur is an ancient pass - during the time of the I ...
highland road,
about 45 minutes from Akureyri. The water of the river
Skjálfandafljót
The Skjálfandafljót River () is situated in the north of Iceland. Skjálfandafljót is long, and is the fourth longest river of Iceland.
It has its source at the northwestern border of the icecap Vatnajökull on the Highlands of Iceland. From ...
falls from a height of 12 metres over a width of 30 metres.
[Andrew Evans (2011). ''Iceland''. Bradt Travel Guides. , 9781841623610. Page 365.] A 1.8-mile hiking trail loops around the waterfall area.
Name
The origin of the waterfall's name is not completely clear. In modern
Icelandic, the name can be read either as "waterfall of the ''goð'' (gods)" or "waterfall of the ''
goði
Gothi or (plural , fem. ; Old Norse: ) was a position of political and social prominence in the Icelandic Commonwealth. The term originally had a religious significance, referring to a pagan leader responsible for a religious structure and com ...
'' (chieftain)." Linguist and placename expert Svavar Sigmundsson suggests that the name derives from two crags at the falls which resemble pagan idols. In 1879–1882, a myth was published in Denmark according to which the waterfall was named when the
lawspeaker
A lawspeaker or lawman ( Swedish: ''lagman'', Old Swedish: ''laghmaþer'' or ''laghman'', Danish: ''lovsigemand'', Norwegian: ''lagmann'', Icelandic: , Faroese: '' løgmaður'', Finnish: ''laamanni'', ) is a unique Scandinavian legal offic ...
Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði
Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi Thorkelsson ( ; Modern Icelandic: ; born c. 940) was an Icelandic jurist who served as a lawspeaker in Iceland's Althing from 985 to 1001.
In the year 999 or 1000, Iceland's legislative assembly was debating which re ...
made
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
the official religion of Iceland in the year 999 or 1000. Upon returning home from the
Alþingi
The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at (' thing fields' or 'assembly fields'), about east of what la ...
, Þorgeir supposedly threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. However, although the story of Þorgeir's role in the adoption of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
in Iceland is preserved in
Ari Þorgilsson
Ari Þorgilsson (1067/1068 – 9 November 1148; Old Norse: ; Modern Icelandic: ; also anglicized Ari Thorgilsson) was Iceland's most prominent medieval chronicler. He was the author of '' Íslendingabók'', which details the histories of the ...
's ''
Íslendingabók
(, , ; ) is a historical work dealing with early history of Iceland, Icelandic history. The author was an Icelandic priest, Ari Þorgilsson, working in the early 12th century. The work originally existed in two different versions but only the y ...
,'' no mention is made of Þorgeir throwing his idols into Goðafoss. The legend appears to be a nineteenth-century fabrication. Nevertheless, a window in
Akureyrarkirkja, the main church at
Akureyri
Akureyri (, ) is a town in northern Iceland, the country's fifth most populous Municipalities of Iceland, municipality (under the official name of Akureyrarbær , 'town of Akureyri') and the largest outside the Capital Region (Iceland), Capital R ...
, illustrates this story.
Gallery
File:GothafossOverview.jpg, Goðafoss seen from the Eastern bank in summer
File:Goðafoss Winter.jpg, Goðafoss seen from the Eastern bank in winter
File:Goðafoss, November 22.jpg, Panorama of Goðafoss in winter
History
MS Goðafoss, an Icelandic ship named after the waterfall, used to transport both freight and passengers. It was sunk by a German U-Boat in World War II, resulting in great loss of life.
In 2020, the waterfall was granted protected status.
See also
*
List of waterfalls
This list of notable waterfalls of the world is sorted by continent, then country, then province, state or territory. A waterfall is included if it is at least tall and has an existing Wikipedia article, or it is considered historically sig ...
*
Waterfalls of Iceland
Iceland is well suited for waterfalls (Icelandic: s. ''foss,'' pl. ''fossar''). This Nordic countries, Nordic island country lies along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge which separates North America and Europe near where the North Atlantic and Arctic Oce ...
*
Christianisation of Iceland
Iceland was Christianized in the year 1000 AD, when Christianity was legally adopted as the official religion by decision of the Althing. In Icelandic, this event is known as the (literally, "the taking of Christianity").
The vast majority of ...
References
External links
Edge of the Arctic- Places to See (English)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godafoss
Germanic paganism
Waterfalls of Iceland