Benjamine Lester’s Dowry (oil on wood panel, 36×24 inches) reinterprets the Thor myth, casting the god not as a triumphant hero but as an antihero burdened by the consequences of his actions. The burning castle and slain figures represent Geirrod and his daughters, slain by Thor and his men, shifting the narrative from victory to reckoning. Lester’s references a historically informed depiction of Geirrod’s hall near the waterfall juxtaposed to the the romanticized version aflame above. Mjölnir, is hidden, placed atop the eastern tower of the burning castle which pins a bloody mound in place, while crows encircle two more below. Odin’s ravens in the foreground representing the disapproving Eyes of Oden, their expressions looking particularly judgmental as to conveying Oden’s annoyance as he finds Thor’s actions wanting. Through masterful composition and symbolism, Lester transforms this mythological episode into a meditation on power, retribution, and the cost of unchecked violence.