北极光下的众神瀑布，冰岛 Goðafoss waterfall under the northern lights, Iceland (© Anton Petrus/Getty Images)

北极光下的众神瀑布，冰岛 Goðafoss waterfall under the northern lights, Iceland (© Anton Petrus/Getty Images)

冰雪之地 Land of fire and ice

Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland

Goðafoss is one of the hundreds of show-stopping waterfalls Iceland is blessed with. And though it isn't the island's highest waterfall—that would be Morsarfoss at over 240 meters—or most powerful (the thundering Dettifoss), Goðafoss, has, within its swirling waters, its own story to tell.

An Icelandic legend holds that in 1000 CE, a well-respected pagan priest and chieftain named Thorgeir Thorkelsson was tasked with deciding if Iceland was to become a Christian nation or if it would continue to worship the ancient Nordic gods. The peace of the island was at stake, with fierce advocates on each side. Thorgeir decided in favor of Christianity, but with the caveat that those who chose to continue to recognize the old gods would not be punished so long as they converted. This tale, likely created in the nineteenth century, says that after Thorgeir converted to Christianity he returned to his home near Goðafoss and hurled his statues of the Norse gods into the falls, which is said to have angered the old gods so much that they split the waterfall in two. Which might be enough to make one rethink angering them in the first place.

Goðafoss瀑布，冰岛

Goðafoss是冰岛拥有的数百座停止表演的瀑布之一。尽管它不是岛上最高的瀑布，也不是海拔240米以上的穆萨福斯瀑布，也不是最强大的瀑布（雷鸣般的Dettifoss），但Goðafoss在其漩涡中有自己的故事要讲。

冰岛的一个传说认为，公元1000年，一位受人尊敬的异教徒牧师和酋长托尔盖尔·托克尔松（Thorgeir Thorkelsson）受命决定冰岛是要成为一个基督教国家，还是要继续崇拜古代北欧诸神。岛上的和平岌岌可危，双方都有强烈的支持者。索盖尔决定支持基督教，但有一条警告：那些选择继续承认旧神的人，只要他们皈依，就不会受到惩罚。这个故事可能是在19世纪创作的，故事中说，托尔盖尔皈依基督教后回到他在戈阿福斯附近的家中，将他的北欧诸神雕像扔进瀑布，据说这激怒了古神，以至于他们将瀑布一分为二。这可能足以让人重新思考一开始会激怒他们。