Medieval chronicles are often rich in anecdotes and unusual tales—a surprising fact, given the high cost of a single page of a manuscript and the limited literacy available to only a few. One notable story is recorded by Thietmar, the Bishop of Merseburg from 1009 to 1018, and an essential chronicler of the Ottonian period, whose work is invaluable in outlining the history of the Ottonian dynasty, particularly Henry II the Saint.

The episode centers on Gero, Archbishop of Cologne and a prominent 10th-century figure, whose death was allegedly foretold by the Devil to Abbess Gerberga. The Devil supposedly warned her that Gero would suffer an illness so severe it would render him apparently dead for three days, but if he were cared for, he could survive. However, she was forbidden to reveal this information under penalty of her own death. Admiring the archbishop for his "purity of mind and body," the abbess nonetheless disclosed what she had learned, and the Devil killed her immediately afterward.

Soon after, the archbishop fell ill and lay unconscious for three days. Without the abbess's protection, he was prepared for burial following an extended funeral ceremony. Thietmar recounts that, on the third night of the vigil ("so it is said"), Gero awakened to the sound of bells and called for help three times, begging for his coffin to be opened. Someone heard his cries and, terrified, informed Everger, who would become Archbishop of Cologne a few years after Gero. However, Everger, irritated, struck the informant with a stick and dismissed the account as nonsense.

Thus, on June 29, 976, poor Archbishop Gero met his end, tragically buried alive.