Marion, near the beginning of this thread, and Guest 16 Sep 06 - 07:13 AM both tell the same sort of interpretation that I heard when I was at school. Marion said that John Barleycorn is reincarnated in beer, but in fact, the reincarnation is through the planting of the seeds to grow the next season's crops, to start the cycle all over again. The king is dead, long live the king.

Helen