Barnafoss () is also known as Bjarnafoss , which was its previous name. Barnafoss is near

Hraunfossar Hraunfossar (; in Borgarfjörður, western Iceland) is a series of waterfalls formed by rivulets streaming over a distance of about 900 metres out of the Hallmundarhraun, a lava field which flowed from an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying ...

which burst out of Hallmundarhraun which is a great lava plain. Barnafoss is a

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

in Western

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, about from

Reykjavík Reykjavík ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói bay. Its latitude is 64°08' N, making it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. With a po ...

. Barnafoss is on the river Hvítá in

Borgarfjörður Borgarfjörður () is a fjord in the west of Iceland near the town of Borgarnes. Although the waters of Borgarfjörður appear calm, the fjord has significant undercurrents and shallows. The many flat islands lying in the fjord are for the most ...

. Hraunfossar flows out of a

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

field into Hvítá near Barnafoss, creating a stunning scenery.

In mythology

Many Icelandic folk tales have been associated with Barnafoss, the most famous being about two boys from a nearby farm, Hraunsás. One day, the boys' parents went with their ploughmen to a church. The boys were supposed to stay at home, but as they grew bored they decided to follow their parents. They made a shortcut and crossed a natural stone-bridge that was above the waterfall. But on their way, they felt dizzy and fell into the water and drowned. When their mother found out what had happened, she put a spell on the bridge saying that nobody would ever cross it without drowning himself. A little while later, the bridge was demolished in an

earthquake An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...

. Another waterfall, Barnafoss, is on the river

Skjálfandafljót The Skjálfandafljót River () is situated in the north of Iceland. Skjálfandafljót is long, and is the fourth longest river of Iceland. It has its source at the northwestern border of the icecap Vatnajökull on the Highlands of Iceland. From ...

near the abandoned farm Barnafell in Ljósavatn County. There the river runs in a narrow, and close to deep canyon. According to legends, young and brave men jumped across its narrowest parts. During prolonged subzero periods, the spray creates an ice arch across the river above the waterfall and sometimes a rope was strung across the river there to quicken this development. Flocks of sheep were driven over that bridge to graze on Þingey, the island between the two branches of the river.

External links

Painting by A. Jónsson
{{Coord, 64, 42, 7, N, 20, 58, 41, W, region:IS_type:waterbody, display=title Waterfalls of Iceland Borgarbyggð West Volcanic Zone of Iceland