Since rules invariably require someone to enforce
them, the development of a set of regulations regarding the design and
adoption of arms in the late twelfth and early thirteenth Centuries created
a niche to be filled by a specialist. That specialist is whom we
today call a "herald." Not the trumpet-blowing harbinger of modern
medieval stories, the herald oversaw tournaments, served as master-of-ceremony,
acted as messenger and ambassador and cataloged the granting or adoption
of arms (and in some places even granted arms himself.)
The origin of the word herald itself is unclear.
As heralds appear first in medieval documents, they are called "hiraut"
or "hiraut d'armes." Etymologically, it appears that it should
mean "the controller of the army" from an earlier German word "hariwald"
However, this is far from anything that heralds ever did, especially the
first heralds who were little more than score-keepers at tournaments.
An alternate derivation has been suggested from the Old High German word
"haren" which means "to call out." However, more than likely,
Anthony Wagner suggests that the "name, originally given to commanders
of armies, by degrees came down in the world until it came to be applied
to the petty functionary whose chief duty was to make proclamations."
Perhaps, not unlike how the British English word "constable" once the
name of great officer of state and commander of an army in England is now
the name of the lowest rank of officer on the police force.
A herald holding the banners of the four judges of a tournament.