Space of Germs of Holomorphic Function

Consider the set of all germs of holomorphic functions at a specific point $x$. If you know of stalks, then this is just $\mathcal{O}_x$. You can think of this set as a collection of all "possible functions" which are holomorphic at that point.

To be precise, you can think of it as the set of all power series which converge in a little neighborhood of $x$. So $\mathcal{O}_x$ is isomorphic to the ring $\mathbb{C}\{z-x\}$ of all convergent power series in $z-x$.

Of course, two functions define the same germ if their power series about $x$ are the same. This gives a method to calculate the germs of a function $f$ at points $x$.

Now the union of all germs of all functions is useful for instance because it allows for the construction of a maximal analytic continuation of a given holomorphic function:

For a Riemann Surface $X$, a point $x\in X$ and a function germ $f$ at $x$, you get a Riemann Surface $Y$ together with an unbranched holomorphic map $Y\rightarrow X$ and a holomorphic function $F$ on all $Y$, such that the germ of $F$ is in some natural way the same as that of $f$.

Now the space of germs allows for the construction of a "maximal $Y$". You can think of it as the largest possible domain of definition for $f$. Because there may be different continuations of a representative of $f$ in different neighborhoods, you have to consider them all and combine them to get your larger space $Y$.

The actual construction and proofs can be read, for instance, in O. Forster's "Lectures on Riemann Surfaces".