In his youth, he was known for his carefree, boisterous, and selfish life. He married and had a daughter, Agletrudis. His wife's untimely death, his daughter's extraordinary piety, and a sermon preached by the monk Amanda caused him to convert. He sold all his possessions and used the money for the monastery in Ghent that Amanda was building and moved there. He became a Benedictine monk and, after some time, a hermit. At first, he lived in a hollowed-out tree trunk, and later in a cottage built in the forest. He died a natural death and was buried in Ghent, in the monastery that today bears his name.
