“Godafoss earned its name, 'Waterfall of the Gods', when Iceland's lawspeaker reportedly hurled his statues of the old Norse gods into it as the country converted to Christianity around the year 1000.”
About Goðafoss
According to the medieval sagas, when the Althing decided around 1000 that Iceland would adopt Christianity, the lawspeaker Thorgeir Ljosvetningagodi threw his carved images of the pagan gods into this waterfall on his way home, giving Godafoss its name and making it a monument to one of the defining decisions in Icelandic history.
Godafoss, the 'Waterfall of the Gods', curves in a 30-metre-wide horseshoe in north Iceland, the Skjalfandafljot river spilling over it in a broad arc of blue-white water. Its name comes from a pivotal moment around the year 1000, when Iceland's lawspeaker, having decided the nation should convert to Christianity, is said to have thrown his statues of the old Norse gods into the falls.
Godafoss, the 'Waterfall of the Gods', curves in a 30-metre-wide horseshoe in north Iceland, the Skjalfandafljot river spilling over it in a broad arc of blue-white water.
On the Diamond Circle
Godafoss sits just off the ring road between Akureyri and Lake Myvatn, making it one of the most accessible major falls in the north. Both banks have viewpoints linked by paths.
The Experience
The falls are not tall but beautifully shaped, a wide blue curve you can take in from several angles as paths run along both banks. The water carries a glacial blue tint, and in winter the surrounding rocks frost over while the river keeps pouring. Its position right off the ring road makes it an easy, rewarding stop.
Why It Matters
Godafoss links landscape to the single most consequential decision in early Icelandic history, the peaceful adoption of Christianity. As a key stop on the northern Diamond Circle near Akureyri, it is one of the region's defining sights.
Godafoss links landscape to the single most consequential decision in early Icelandic history, the peaceful adoption of Christianity.
Why Visit
It offers a graceful horseshoe falls with a genuine historical story attached, right beside the ring road in the north. View it from both banks for different angles, and pair it with nearby Lake Myvatn and the town of Akureyri.
✦ Insider Tips
- 1
Walk the paths on both banks, each gives a distinctly different angle on the horseshoe.
- 2
It sits right off the ring road between Akureyri and Myvatn, an easy add to a northern route.
- 3
Winter ice makes the riverside paths slick; wear grippy footwear.
- 4
Early morning light on the blue water rewards photographers before tour traffic arrives.
