V A I 



V A I 



partment of the Aifne ; 8 miles E. of Soiffons. — Alfo, a 

 town of France, in the department of the Clier ; 9 miles E. 

 of Aubigny. 



VAIR, in Heraldry, a kind of fur, or doubhng, con- 

 fifting of divers little pieces, argent and azure, refembling a 

 Dutch U, or a bell-glafs. 



Vairs have their point azure oppofite to their point argent, 

 and the bafe argent to the azure. 



When there are only two or three vairs, the ancient 

 heralds call it great vair ; and when there are more, fmall 

 vair. 



Vair is intended to reprefent a kind of flcin, ufed an- 

 ciently by the kings of France, in lieu of a fur, and with 

 ■which the gowns of the prefidents a mortier, the cour.fellors 

 of the court, the heralds' coats, &c. were lined till the fif- 

 teenth century. 



It was properly the ilcin of a kind of fquirrel, called alfo 

 in French "vair, and in Latin fcriveus ; which was white 

 underneath, and of dove-colour at top. It is defcribed by 

 Aldrovandus under the name oi fcriveo vario, and is the 

 fame, according to Gefner, with the mus Ponlicus of Arif- 

 totle and Pliny ; which the Latins call varus or varliis, from 

 the variety of its colour. Its two fkins, joined together, 

 make the figure of the vairs in armories ; being naturally 

 white and azure. 



Vair, Colombiere obferves, is the fecond fort of fur an- 

 ciently ufed as a lining of the garments of great men, con- 

 fifting of little pieces, fewed by the furriers on white (Itins : 

 and becaufe thefe piec'S were ufually blue, thofe who firft 

 fettled the rules of heraldry, decreed, that this fur, in its 

 natural blazon, (hould always be argent and azure. So, if 

 it be abfolutely faid, fuch a family bears vair ; it is fuppofed 

 to be argent and azure. 



Regularly thcie muft be but four rows or ranks of vair in 

 the (hield ; if there be either more or lefs, the number muft 

 be fpecified. The fmalleft number, being three rows, is 

 CdWeA beffroy de imir ; the moil, being five or fix, is called 

 menu, or fmall vair. 



The beffroy is alfo known by the firlt figure on the dexter- 

 fide of the efcutcheon being always of metal, and in form 

 of a belt ; whereas that of menu vair is in fhape of a glafs. 



Vair, Counter. See CouNTER-fair. 



VAJRA, the name of the weapon placed in the hand of 

 the Hindoo god Indra, regent of the firmament, and of at- 

 mofpherical phenomena. It is in faft lightning, or the 

 thunder-bolt or fulmen of the weftern Jove. Indra is hence 

 named Vajrapani, or " grafper of the thunder." (See 

 Indra.) It is ufually defcribed as a difcus or quoit, with 

 a central hole, on which it is whirled round on the fore- 

 finger of the right hand, and fent miffilely with a terrible 

 efFeft. This is fimilar to the chakra, or circle, the common 

 attribute of the god Vifhnu. (See Vishnu.) Such things 

 are now feen in the hands of holy mendicants varioufly called 

 Saniafly and Yogi. (See Sects of Hindoos, and Yogi.) 

 They are ufually a foot or lefs in diameter, of metal or hard 

 wood, fliarp at the edge. In piftures, fire is fometimes 

 flaming from its periphery, as if from the vehemence of its 

 centrifugal energy. The only reprefentation we ever faw 

 differing from this defcription, is in the frontifpiece to Kirk- 

 patrick's account of Nepaul. The god Siva, fometimes 

 appearing in the charafter of the thunderer, is named 

 Vajrefwara, which fee : it means riding on the thunder. 



VAIRAC, in Geography, a town of France, in the de- 

 partment of the Lot ; 4 miles N.E. of Martel. 



VAIRAVA, in Mythology, a name of the Hindoo god 

 Si»a. It is fometimes written "and pronounced Bhairava ; and, 

 derived from Bheru, means the iremenJoui. Tlie Mahrattas €X- 



tenfively worfhip Siva under this name, which in their mouths 

 is coiTupted into Bheroba. They liave legends relating to 

 an ayatara or incarnation of Siva under this name and form ; 

 and images are very common of him in the Mahratta coun- 

 try. Other accounts make Vairava and Virabadra the off- 

 fpring of Siva, and give the former name likewife to Par- 

 vati, when fpeaking of her in her terrific charafters, fuch 

 as Kali; which fee. Sometimes all the offspring of Siva 

 are denominated the Bhairavas. See Virabadra. 



The Malii-attas affign to Bheroba a confort or fakti, whom 

 they name Jogafery : it would perhaps be more correftly 

 written Tugafiri. In the Hindoo Pantheon feveral repre- 

 fentations are given of this couple, and the author of that 

 work fays that he has in his coUetlion nearly a hundred 

 metallic cafts of them, moftly rude and old, with an ap- 

 pearance of having been buried. The figures are ufually 

 accompanied by Siveaii attributes, fuch as the trifula or 

 trident, the patra or cup, the linga, &c. i|See Trisula, 

 &c. ) Sometimes he rides a buffalo. Sec Vahan. 



There are fables in Hindoo legends of Brahma having 

 had one of his heads cut off. This decapitation is by fome 

 accounts attributed to Vifhnu, or Narayana, by others to 

 Siva and to Vairava, and the latter is in piftures fometimes 

 reprefented holding the ghaftly head, and a cup or patra to 

 receive the blood ; with a collar of blanched ikuUs, and at- 

 tended by a dog. Sometimes he, ufually four-handed, and 

 his wife, are reprefented as flieletons. 



The feft who exclufively or efpecially adore Siva, are called 

 Saiva. It appears that this fedl has fpread to Java ; for an 

 image of him has been recognized in the interior of the ifland, 

 and a well-executed drawing of it is in the poffeffion of Mr. 

 Marfden, author of the Malayan Grammar and Diftionary. 

 Batu-Bharave is the name under which this tremendous pair 

 are known in Java ; where, as Mr. Marfden is informed, our 

 officers, during the late fervice, frequently recognized Hin- 

 doo figures, efpecially of PoUear, to which they had been 

 famiharly accuftomed on the continent of India. See 

 Pollear. 



Sonnerat notices this deity as honoured in the Camatic : 

 he calls him Vairevert, third fon of Siva, produced from 

 his breath to humble the arrogance of Brahma, one of 

 whofe heads he wrenched off, and ufed the llcuU to recerwe 

 the blood of his other antagonifts. He is defcribed as 

 mounted on a dog. 



VAIRE, in Geography, a river of France, which runs 

 into the Var, about 3 miles N.W. of Glandevea. 



VAJRESWARA, in Mythology, a name of the Hin- 

 doo god Siva, derived, it is faid, from the weapon more 

 ufually given to Indra, called Vajra, meaning lightning or 

 thunder. Siva under this name will therefore correfpond 

 with the Jupiter fulminator or tonans of the Weft. Siva's 

 confort, Parvati, is furnamed Vajrefwari, pronounced fome- 

 times Bajrefwari ; the initials being fo extenfively inter- 

 changeable. 



VAX ROE, in Geography. See V^IROE. 



VAIRY, Vaire, Verry, or Varry, is applied to a coat, 

 or the bearings of a coat, when charged, or checquered, with 

 vair. 



When the colours are argent and azure, or white and 

 blue, it is vairy proper : if it be otherwife, the colours are 

 to be exprefsly named ; vairy of fuch a colour or metal. 

 He bears vairy, or, and vert ; this is particularly called vair 

 compofed. The bearings are Ukcwife faid to be vairy, when 

 they are charged with vairs. When chiefs, crofTes, pales, 

 feftes, &c. happen to be vairy, the number of ranks are to 

 be fpecified. 



Vairy gowns are obferved, by Juhus Pollux, to have been 

 ° 3 Z ^ t'lS 



