A goodly number of stories are told of his somewhat drastic treatment of those who passed by his shrine without bringing an offering—­stories which may be traced to the monks who dwelt there, and who reaped the benefit of these offerings.

Charlemagne at the Shrine of St. Goar

Here is one of those tales concerning the great Karl.  On one occasion while he was travelling from Ingelheim to Aix-la-Chapelle, by way of Coblentz, he passed the shrine of St. Goar without so much as a single thought.  Nor did those who accompanied him give the saint more attention.  It was the height of summer, everything was bright and beautiful, and as the Emperor’s flotilla drifted lazily down the Rhine the sound of laughter and light jesting could be heard.

No sooner had the Emperor and his courtiers passed St. Goar, however, than the smiling sky became overcast, heavy clouds gathered, and the distant sound of thunder was heard.  A moment more and they were in the midst of a raging storm; water surged and boiled all around, and darkness fell so thickly that scarce could one see another’s face.  Panic reigned supreme where all had been gaiety and merriment.

In vain the sailors strove to reach the shore; in vain the ladies shrieked and the Emperor and his nobles lent their aid to the seamen.  All the exertions of the sailors would not suffice to move the vessels one foot nearer the shore.  At length an old boatman who had spent the greater part of a lifetime on the Rhine approached the Emperor and addressed him thus: 

“Sire, our labours are useless.  We have offended God and St. Goar.”

The words were repeated by the Emperor’s panic-stricken train, who now saw that the storm was of miraculous origin.  “Let us go ashore,” said Charlemagne in an awed voice.  “In the name of God and St. Goar, let us go ashore.  We will pray at the shrine of the saint that he may help us make peace with Heaven.”

Scarcely had he uttered the words ere the sky began to clear, the boiling water subsided to its former glassy smoothness, and the storm was over.  The illustrious company landed and sought the shrine of the holy man, where they spent the rest of the day in prayer.

Ere they departed on the following morning Charlemagne and his court presented rich offerings at the shrine, and the Emperor afterward endowed the monastery with lands of great extent, by which means it is to be hoped that he succeeded in propitiating the jealous saint.

The Reconciliation

One more tale of St. Goar may be added, dealing this time with Charlemagne’s sons, Pepin and Karloman.  These two, brave knights both, had had a serious quarrel over the sovereignty of their father’s vast Empire.  Gradually the breach widened to a deadly feud, and the brothers, once the best of friends, became the bitterest enemies.