Godafoss

Godafoss, the Waterfall of the Gods, is one of the most beautiful in Iceland, a graceful horseshoe curve where the glacial Skjalfandafljot river drops over a curved lava ledge in the north. A story published in Denmark in 1879-1882 says that when Iceland adopted Christianity around the year 1000, the lawspeaker Thorgeir threw his pagan idols into these falls, giving them their name, though the medieval account of his part in the conversion does not mention it, and a place-name expert links the name instead to two crags at the falls that resemble idols.

History

A story published in Denmark in 1879-1882 tells that the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði, after making Christianity Iceland's official religion in 999 or 1000, threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall on his way home from the Alþingi; but Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók, which records Þorgeir's part in the conversion, says nothing of it, and the place-name expert Svavar Sigmundsson suggests the name comes from two crags at the falls that resemble pagan idols. In 2020 the waterfall was given protected status (Wikipedia, Goðafoss).

What you'll find

• The horseshoe falls - the elegant curved cascade over the lava ledge.
• Both banks - the viewpoints on each side of the river.
• The legend - the story of the pagan idols cast into the water.
• Winter ice - the frozen formations around the falls in the cold season.

When to go

Year-round; the falls are graceful in any season, with winter ice adding drama. It is an easy stop on the ring road in the north.

Practical notes

It is an easy roadside stop rather than a long visit, popular but less crowded than the south-coast falls. Paths can be icy in winter. It is in the north, on the ring road between Akureyri and Myvatn.

Nearby

Lake Myvatn and Akureyri are close; the ring road continues around the north.

Key facts