Pagan Gods Fall
Have you ever heard the story of the Gods being condemned to a waterfall, well let me tell you the little story of Godafoss or The Waterfall of the Gods!
The waterfall Godafoss (The Waterfall of the Gods) is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in Iceland. It is located right off the Ring Road, about 50 km (31 miles) east of Akureyri. Godafoss is not very tall or powerful… but the separate cascades form an elegant semicircular arc making for a brilliant sight – the swirling patterns in the blue-green (or sometimes brown) water, and the strange bubbliness of the surrounding lava or ice depending on the season!
Godafoss is closely connected with one of the most important event in Icelandic history, the conversion to Christianity from heathendom or “the old custom” in the year 1000.
That is when, Thorgeir Thorkelsson, the Law Speaker of the Icelandic Parliament, lived on the farm Ljosavatn only 2 km from the waterfall. Iceland’s legislative assembly was debating which religion they should practice: ‘Norse paganism’ or ‘Christianity’.
Thorgeir, himself a pagan priest and chieftain, decided in favour of Christianity after a day and a night of silent meditation under a fur blanket. Of course, Pagans could still practice their old religion in private.
After his decision, Thorgeir himself became a Christian and when he returned back home to Ljosavatn from this historic Althingi (the Icelandic parliament), he dispensed of his heathen gods by throwing them into the falls in a symbolic act of the conversion. As a result of the event, the waterfall was named Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods).
In the year 2000 a church was built on the farm Ljosavatn commemorating the 1000 year anniversary of Christianity in Iceland and named after chieftain Thorgeir. The church is open to visitors during the summer.
This waterfall is therefore the resting place of the Pagan Gods and came to be known as Godafoss or The Waterfall of the Gods!
A trip to Iceland is complete without a visit to Godafoss to pay homage to the Pagan Gods!
Read about the other interesting aspects of travel to Iceland here.
For ideas on experiential travel to Europe, Asia and Africa, visit Beyonder Travel.
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