Did St. Norbert have to swallow a spider?

[Tabby]

In reading about the lives of the saints, I was astounded to find an episode in which St. Norbert swallowed a spider to protect the Eucharist. One day at Mass he consecrated the precious blood and was about to drink it when he saw a venomous spider in the chalice. Rather than spill the precious blood, he decided to drink the contents (apparently spider and all) and survived because of his faith. Did he really have to do that?

[Michelle Arnold]

No. Assuming this actually happened and that the story is not just a pious legend, St. Norbert had other options. He could have fished it out of the chalice and killed it, and then perhaps burned the remains of the spider and poured the ashes into the earth. The precious blood could have been diluted with water until the appearance of wine no longer remained (at which point the Real Presence also would no longer remain) and then poured the water into the earth. That St. Norbert preferred to risk death than take the chance of profaning the Eucharist was a heroic virtue, but protecting the Eucharist did not require that he take the particular action he is reported to have chosen.