Goðafoss
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{{Infobox waterfall
| name = Goðafoss
| photo = 1 Goðafoss aerial pano 2017.jpg
| photo_width =
| photo_caption = Aerial panorama of Goðafoss
| location = North of Iceland
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| map = Iceland
| type =
| height = {{convert|12|m|abbr=on}}
| width = {{convert|30|m|abbr=on}}
| number_drops =
| average_flow =
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| world_rank =
}}
Goðafoss ({{IPA|is|ˈkɔːðaˌfɔsː|audio=Goðafoss pronunciation.ogg}}) is a waterfall in northern Iceland. It is located along the country's main ring road at the junction with the Sprengisandur highland road, about 45 minutes from Akureyri. The water of the river Skjálfandafljót falls from a height of 12 metres over a width of 30 metres.Andrew Evans (2011). Iceland. Bradt Travel Guides. {{ISBN|184162361X}}, 9781841623610. Page 365. A 1.8-mile hiking trail loops around the waterfall area.{{Cite web|title=Godafoss Waterfall|url=https://www.alltrails.com/trail/iceland/northeastern/godafos|access-date=December 29, 2021|website=AllTrails.com}}
Name
The origin of the waterfall's name is not completely clear. In modern Icelandic, the name can be read either as "waterfall of the goð (gods)" or "waterfall of the goði (chieftain)." Linguist and placename expert Svavar Sigmundsson suggests that the name derives from two crags at the falls which resemble pagan idols. In 1879–1882, a myth was published in Denmark according to which the waterfall was named when the lawspeaker Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði made Christianity the official religion of Iceland in the year 999 or 1000. Upon returning home from the Alþingi, Þorgeir supposedly threw his statues of the Norse gods into the waterfall. However, although the story of Þorgeir's role in the adoption of Christianity in Iceland is preserved in Ari Þorgilsson's Íslendingabók, no mention is made of Þorgeir throwing his idols into Goðafoss. The legend appears to be a nineteenth-century fabrication.Svavar Sigmundsson. (2015, 29. júní). Er það rétt að Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði hafi hent goðum í Goðafoss? Vísindavefurinn. Retrieved from http://visindavefur.is/svar.php?id=70316 Nevertheless, a window in Akureyrarkirkja, the main church at Akureyri, illustrates this story.
Gallery
File:GothafossOverview.jpg|Goðafoss seen from the Eastern bank in summer
File:Goðafoss Winter.jpg|Goðafoss seen from the Eastern bank in winter
File:Goðafoss, November 22.jpg|Panorama of Goðafoss in winter
History
MS Goðafoss, an Icelandic ship named after the waterfall, used to transport both freight and passengers. It was sunk by a German U-Boat in World War II, resulting in great loss of life.
In 2020, the waterfall was granted protected status.{{Cite web|url=https://icelandmonitor.mbl.is/news/nature_and_travel/2020/06/12/godafoss_waterfall_declared_protected/|title=Goðafoss Waterfall Declared Protected}}
See also
References
External links
{{commons category|Goðafoss}}
- [http://www.edgeofthearctic.is/places-to-see/godafoss-waterfall/ Edge of the Arctic- Places to See (English)]
- [http://www.world-of-waterfalls.com/iceland-godafoss.html World of Waterfalls: Goðafoss]
- [http://www.icelandvirtualtour.com/godafoss-east-bank.html Panoramic virtual tour of Godafoss] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170916034905/http://www.icelandvirtualtour.com/godafoss-east-bank.html |date=2017-09-16 }}
{{Waterfalls of Iceland}}
{{coord|65|40|48|N|17|32|24|W|region:IS_type:waterbody|display=title}}
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