Godafoss Waterfall

About

With a height of 12 meters, the Godafoss Waterfall might not be the largest waterfall in Iceland, but the 30-meter-wide cascade pouring into a river basin is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful. The falls are made even more fascinating by their unusual history. Iceland’s original settlers in the 9th and 10th centuries followed the Old Norse religion - you know, the one worshiping gods like Thor, Odin, Loki, and Freya. However, around 1000, it became evident that Norway would retake the land if the country remained pagan. The decision was left to the Ásatrú priest (or goði) Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði. For the good of the people, he chose to make the country’s official religion Christianity. To mark his decision, he went home, collected his Norse idols, and threw them over the falls.