Heavy fighters armor up and beat on each other. Archers shoot bows and light fighters clash with rapier in hand. The Arts and Sciences folk are busy doing their crafts or teaching/taking classes. The 'support staff' are bustling about making the event happen. But where do the heralds fit in? Heralds are far more involved in supporting an event than most of the "A/S" folk and, at the same time, heraldry is concerned with aspects that can only be defined under the purvue of Arts and Scences. To further complicate the matter, heralds were historically charged with running tournaments and were on the privy council of the Crown, directly answerable to the Earl Marshal. In general, however, there are two main groups of tasks that SCA heraldry is involved with: book heraldry and voice heraldry.

Book heraldry concerns itself with the registration of names and devices. To ensure that a gentle cannot be confused (in name or in arms) with another person, we register their name and device through the College of Arms. OK, but what is the primary importance of registering a gentles name and arms? What prevents me, a non-fighter, from wearing a gold chain and a white belt? Custom and the CoA. Both afford protection for those who have earned the right to wear registered regalia. So too, custom and the CoA protect a gentle with registered armory from 'impostors'. If we did not register names or armory, court could become very messy (with 5 "Tom the Tall"s standing up for an award) and large wars like Pennsic could be most confusing. Although there IS a battle where an error in heraldry caused the decimation of allied forces, that sort of history is not what we're trying to recreate.

Reading through the Administrative Handbook and the Rules for Submission, one would think that the primary duty of a herald is names and armory registration. Although period heralds performed some basic genealogical services (patents and sieze-quatres), by and large period heraldry revolved around armory and "ceremonial and miscellaneous" duties. I put the quotes there because that is where the AH lists the bulk of the period heralds job. Being a messenger and diplomat, organizing and running tournaments, being an impartial witness and being the Master of Ceremonies for any official function of their patron. Oh yes, and registering armory. A herald wasn't on the privy council for the ability to register armory or split hairs as to the origin of "sir Whatshisface's" name. In short, the _period_ duties of a herald and the _SCA_ duties of a herald extend far beyond just book heraldry and more into the realm of what is normally called voice heraldry.

Back to the question "What do heralds do?" Below is a list of duties which we, as heralds, perform.

Provide counsel and advice to the Crown/Coronet, including bearing fair witness when called upon.

Make announcements.

Compile and maintain Orders of Precedence.

Act as ambassadors and diplomats between parties.

Encourage heraldic display.

Organize and run Tournaments and lists.

Assist clients in choosing appropriate names and devices.

Assist the Laurel staff in the registration process by commenting and documentation.

Act as 'point-man' for scrolls and regalia (including construction and maintenance of inventory).

Teach others (heralds and non-heralds) about heraldry, heralds and such.

Report to Kingdom of heraldic activities ocurring in our purvue.

Last but not least, HAVE FUN.

In conclusion, heraldry is a multi-faceted endeavor. In period, we were called upon to perform a myriad of tasks, from purely ceremonial to being a walking knowledge base of chivalry. In the Society, we are called upon to perform as many, if not more, tasks. When it is boiled down, however, we are here to learn, to do, to teach others and to have fun.