Iceland Travel Journal 冰島旅行日記 16 - 2019.10.17 Goðafoss 眾神瀑布

Day 4's and 5's Notes 第四、五天的雜記

The Goðafoss (waterfall of the gods) is a stunning waterfall located in northern Iceland. The powerful Skjálfandafljót river plunges over the falls, dropping from a height of 12 meters over a width of approximately 30 meters. A popular 1.8-mile (3-km) hiking trail loops around the waterfall area, offering views from multiple vantage points.

The waterfall derives its name from a pivotal moment in Icelandic history. The first settlers in Iceland were Norwegians who followed the Old Norse religion and worshipped various deities.

Around AD 1000, during the meeting of the Alþingi (Parliament), a religious crisis threatened to divide the island. To prevent a civil war, Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði, a respected lawspeaker, was given the sole responsibility to decide the country's official religion. After a day and a night of contemplation and prayer, Þorgeir decreed that, for the good of the people, Christianity would be the official religion, though pagans could still practice their Old Norse religion in private.

To symbolize this decision, Þorgeir returned to his home in northern Iceland and threw his idols of the Old Gods into the powerful waterfall. Since then, it has been known as Goðafoss.

Goðafoss has two main viewing platforms:

West Side (Parking Lot 1 / Road 1): This side is typically closer to the main drop and provides a grand, sweeping view of the entire horseshoe shape of the falls.
East Side (Parking Lot 2 / Road 842): This side offers a more direct, closer view of the water plunging over the main rock wall, and you can often see the water's foaming intensity and color more clearly.

The waterfall's scale and perspective shift dramatically based on whether you view it from the east or west bank of the Skjálfandafljót river. We explored both sides on different days—can you spot the difference in the images below?

眾神瀑布是位於冰島北部的壯麗瀑布。奔騰咆哮的斯基亞爾凡達河（Skjálfandafljót）從約 30 公尺寬的瀑布上傾瀉而下，落差達 12 公尺。一條頗受歡迎的 3 公里（1.8 英里）環形健行路線環繞瀑布區，沿途設有多個觀景點，可供遊客欣賞瀑布美景。

瀑布的名字源自於冰島歷史上的一個關鍵時刻。冰島的第一批殖民拓荒者是挪威人，他們信奉古諾爾斯 (Old Norse) 宗教，崇拜各種神。

西元 1000 年左右，在阿爾辛吉 (Alþingi)（議會 Parliament）會議上，一場宗教危機威脅要分裂這個島嶼。為了避免內戰，一位德高望重的議長索爾蓋爾·利約斯韋特寧加戈迪 (Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði) 被賦予了決定國家官方宗教的唯一重任。經過一天一夜的沉思和祈禱，索爾蓋爾頒布法令，為了人民的福祉，基督教將成為官方宗教，但異教徒仍然可以私下信奉他們的古諾爾斯宗教。

為了象徵這個決定，索爾蓋爾回到冰島北部的家鄉，將他供奉的古神偶像扔進了雄偉的瀑布。從此，它便被稱為眾神瀑布。

眾神瀑布有兩個主要的觀景平台：