He was born about 950, from a noble family of Thurgau, and he was a nephew of Ekkehard I, the poet of Waltharius. He went to the Abbey of Saint Gall when only a boy, and there acquired a vast and varied knowledge by omnivorous reading.
Born around 950 from a noble family in Thurgau, he was a relative of Ekkehard I, the poet of Waltharius. As a young boy, he joined the Abbey of Saint Gall and there developed a wide-ranging and comprehensive knowledge by reading extensively.