Grendel is not satan... He is a satanic priest!

So, I have been analyzing Grendel these past 100 pages because the content is getting a little "what in the world are you talking about John Gardner?" BUT, I have come to a conclusion, Grendel is portrayed as a Devil creature, and Satan in Beowulf but is not described that way in the story of Grendel, I believe he is what I would like to call a "Satanic Priest." He preaches of things related to evil thoughts. If the Devil had someone who was the perfect "spreader of his religion" I believe it would be Grendel. Grendel is very smart. Sometimes a little too smart but at the same time he is a tiny bit ignorant. We could say he knows about 90% of what he is talking about, much like Christian priests. You could say that Christian priests only REALLY know about 90% of what their talking about and the other 10% is very much a guessing game. I have an Uncle who is a primitive baptist preacher so I feel like I know a pretty good amount about the life and times of a preacher/priest. My uncle is not the most "holy" man ever. He has a wife, he makes jokes and he is insanely fun to be around, probably one of the funniest people I know. This is important with his job; to be a preacher you really have to be able to tell a story, and tell it well. This relates to Grendel because no, Grendel is not the most evil thing in the entire universe. Grendel actually does have some redeeming qualities (for a Devilish monster), for instance, he does not kill deer, he "takes mercy" on Wealtheow, you could say he has the ability to love. Just like priests have the ability to sin just like other people. Tying this back to the meaning in the novel, their is a large section about Grendel's interactions and feelings about priests. He tries to act like he is so much better than them when actually he is the same, just acting on a different cause. I would also like to tie this into Gardner's exestentialist beliefs.He wants someone to act on the other side. Everyone is always being pulled in the direction of God and "goodness" and I believe that frustrates Gardner. I don't think he actually wants people to support evil, but I do think he wishes that people questioned it. What is the real difference in supporting God and supporting Satan? If you give your time to God, he will bless me. If I gave my time to Satan, would Satan bless me? Did Gardner give Grendel animal and human qualities to push him in the direction of satan? More animalistic than humans, but definetely still intelligent? Either way, Grendel is turning into his own personal form of the Shaper. He is shaping people to be afraid, and to question everything they know, and he does it like an art form. He does not just slaughter people, there is thought, there is study. Grendel is more than just a monster, he is a satan helping, priest, who is furry, and kind of hilarious. Gotta love it?