John Barleycorn
John Barleycorn, fictional humorous personification of alcohol, first appearing about 1620. John Barleycorn was a figure in British and American folklore. British sources often refer to the character as Sir John Barleycorn, as in a 17th-century pamphlet, The Arraigning and Indicting of Sir John Barleycorn, Knight, and in a ballad found in The English Dancing Master (1651). The Scottish poet Robert Burns reworked folk material for his poem “John Barleycorn” (1787).
Citation Information
Article Title:
John Barleycorn
Website Name:
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Publisher:
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Date Published:
28 November 2016
Access Date:
February 22, 2025