All Things Iceland

All Things Iceland


The Icelandic Waterfall of the Gods – Folklore Friday

July 12, 2024

This episode is part of my Folklore Friday series where I am sharing a folklore story every Friday in 2024.


Back in the year 1000 AD Þorgeir, the Law Speaker in Althingi or Icelandic Parliament, made the decision that Iceland would become a Christian nation. This was a huge decision for him to make considering that he was Pagan that believed in the Old Norse Gods.


When he returned back home to the north as a Christian, his first order of business was to get rid of the Pagan idols from his temple. It is said that he took all of the idols and tossed them into a waterfall. According to the story, the waterfall came to be known as Goðafoss or “Waterfall of the Gods“ or waterfall of the Goði (chieftain).


While it is true that Iceland became a Christian nation in the year 1,000, I have not heard of any concrete evidence that Þorgeir threw the idols into the waterfall.


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If you plan to use a campervan, use my code Iceland7 to save 7% and get two free duvets with your GO Camper van rental. Also, I have a great episode coming up soon about how to choose the right camper van for your travels in Iceland, so keep an eye out for that.


Random Fact of the Episode

During World War II, the MS Goðafoss, an Icelandic ship named after the waterfall, was sunk by a German U-Boat. It was transporting both freight and passengers, so the result was that many people lost their lives.


Icelandic Word of the Episode

Lögsögumaður – law speaker


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