The Devil seems to be a constant presence at the Abbey of Saint Gall. One notable instance is the story of Notker, the monk who confronted him on two occasions, emerging victorious both times, although suffering the Fallen Angel’s revenge through the episode of Wolo, which we have previously documented.

The first encounter occurred one night when Notker, deep in prayer within the abbey church, heard a strange sound—a dog’s whimper mixed with a pig’s grunt—coming from the crypt. He immediately recognized it as the Tempter and, lighting a lantern, began searching every corner of the church. At last, he found him. After a brief exchange, the creature attacked, tearing at Notker’s robe. However, Notker commanded him to stay still and ran to fetch the miraculous pastoral staff from Saint Gall’s altar, along with a “sphere of the holy cross.” He then struck the demon, forcing it toward the sphere. Trapped, the demon began to speak, crying out for help in the common tongue. At that moment, the custodian, hearing the commotion, rushed into the church with a lantern. Entering, he accidentally moved the sphere, allowing the devil to escape. During the scuffle, the staff had broken, and the custodian asked Notker for an explanation, to which he did not immediately respond. The custodian then searched the entire church to ensure there were no hidden thieves, suspecting that Notker might be covering for them out of compassion. Finally, Notker explained everything to the custodian, asked him to keep it secret, and later had the pastoral staff repaired by a blacksmith.

The Devil reappeared when Notker was late for the prayer of None, breaking the usual monastic routine. The devil appeared once again, seated on the beams of the ceiling above the monk, with a wax tablet and stylus, recording his “sin.” Notker invoked God, and the devil, erasing what he had written, threw the tablet at him, causing Notker to jump to his feet. Pleased to have distracted him, the devil seized the confusion created by the arrival of other monks to slip away unnoticed. Notker kept silent about the incident, and the Devil took his final revenge through the episode of Wolo.