In Greek mythology, Hermes served as herald to Zeus.
As herald, Hermes carried messages and represented the authority of the chief Olympian god. His speed, eloquence, and ability to move between different realms made him a natural intermediary among gods, humans, and the dead.
Hermes was not limited to one task. He was also associated with travelers, merchants, boundaries, thieves, language, and the guidance of souls. These overlapping responsibilities explain why his myths often place him at points of contact between otherwise separate groups.
Apollo is sometimes mistaken for the answer because he is another major Olympian and has close mythological interactions with Hermes. Apollo, however, is chiefly associated with music, prophecy, healing, and the sun in later tradition. Hermes’s formal heraldic role belongs especially to Zeus’s court.