Beowulf: Unferth, the Same Martyr John Gardner introduces the reader of Grendel to an intimate side of Unferth unseen in the epic poem Beowulf. In Grendel we behold what a pathetic, sniveling wimp Unferth has become. In Beowulf all that we see is a jealous bastard. Why did Gardner make the character of Unferth so different from the original depiction? He didn't. The only change in Unferth from Beowulf to Grendel is his realistic characterization in Grendel. After the drunken Danes give Beowulf his warm welcome, Unferth unleashes his anger in an attack on Beowulf. This petty proclamation which points out Beowulf's not-so triu