The earliest mentions of heralds present a picture far removed from the elegant and formal officers of arms that may be familiar. Instead, they appear on the sidelines of the tournament circuit, alongside the troubadours, acrobats, and other entertainers.
Cheerleaders in the lists
They were aficionados of the joust and melee, but also entertainers, interacting with the watching crowd and urging them to cheer for their knights. Itinerant, even vagabond figures, they scraped a