The herald is a word that has passed through the ages

Surprisingly, very often we use words whose meanings are not fully understood by us. One example of such usage is the "herald". This concept is known since the dark ages, and not once the meaning of it changed. We use this word in certain places, and we think that we are doing it right. But is our knowledge of history consistent? Who were called heralds in ancient times, and how the meaning of this concept changed with the passage of time - we find out below.

The Dark Ages

After the fall of the Roman Empire , new feudal relations began to take shape on the European continent. The high culture of ancient thinkers has sunk into the past-in medieval Europe an educated person could not be found more often than a flowering apple tree in the winter. Literate were clergymen and a thin stratum of urban bourgeois, who traded in medicine, pharmaceuticals and litigation. But gradually the need for educated members of society increased. Strangely enough, it was a lot contributed by knight tournaments.

Knights and Heralds

Any self-respecting knight took part in all kinds of tournaments, where he earned himself the reputation of a brave and brave warrior.

Such glory could lead to honors and riches - for the victory in the tournament was given a reward, and many nobles would not mind to get themselves into the retinue of such a triumph. But the knights were completely illiterate, to study letters and figures was considered an occupation unworthy for a real man. In order to announce the arrival of the knight, to tell about his shield and flag, to list all his previous victories, special people were hired, each of whom was called the "herald". They were servants who could read and write, close to their master, who accompanied him in military campaigns and tournament competitions. Their duty was to count victories and praise their master. Those who were called heralds knew their master's pedigree and, on arrival at the tournament site, loudly blew the horn. No wonder the French herald is written as a blason. This word has German roots, and means "blowing into the horn".

Duties of the herald

Knowing the arms of the nobility, the ability to attract the attention of the crowd, loyalty and devotion to the gentleman - these were the minimum requirements that the herald had to meet. This occupation brought honor and prosperity, so it was often inherited. In addition, tournaments often took place in distant countries, so it was important for the herald to know foreign languages, the history of making the arms, flags and decals of all noble families of his time. Knights had to fight with their peers in the nobility and antiquity of the clan - so the heralds became the managers of the tournaments. And the knowledge of arms and other distinctive signs gave rise to the science of "heraldry", which in our time is studying the arms and flags of various states. Despite her knowledge, the herald was not appreciated in the feudal suite of the feudal lord. In the intervals between fights and battles, he talked about the exploits of his suzerain, praised his real or fictitious merits.

Changing duties

Later the role of heralds began to be appreciated. In place of beggars and ragged servants, educated personalities came to represent their master in all social events. Herolds wore the clothes of their suzerain, were authorized to speak on his behalf. Gradually the herald was perceived as a messenger who voiced the will of his master and conveyed his instructions.

Heralds in history

Later the knight tournaments were a thing of the past, but the heralds remained. Now the herald is a representative of royal houses, a messenger, a messenger of the royal will. Their duty is to convey the will of the sovereign to all corners of the kingdom. Any sleepy village or provincial town was waiting for news that only the royal herald could bring. Synonyms of this word in Russian are the herald, messenger, messenger, ceremonial master. As you can see, all these values can be fully combined into one word. The importance of the post shows the transfer of the meaning of this word to a personal context. The name Herold became quite popular, in many families it is considered generic. Many of the generous families of Western Europe led their race from the royal heralds and ceremonies masters. They owe their position to their distant ancestors - heralds.

Herolds were necessarily part of the King's retinue, participated in the work of the embassies, they were delegated high powers in treaties between states. It was considered unacceptable to release an envoy with empty hands after an audience - this was considered a sign of disrespect for the king of the country that the herald represented. This rule lasted quite a long time, until the end of the 19th century, when the change of social structures deprived the heralds of their powers, and their duties began to be performed by very different people.

Herolds today

Currently, heralds have survived only in several royal houses of Europe. They continue to publicize the will of their suzerain and perfectly know his coat of arms and genealogy. In different languages, this word sounds almost the same: "Garold", "Harold", "Herald". The stress in this word is on "o", and thanks to its phonetic composition, this word is difficult to write with errors.

In modern vocabulary, this concept has left only the value of the messenger - the word "herald" is sometimes used in the names of daily newspapers or as a joke designation of the messenger conveying other people's orders.