Why are old ballads anonymous?

Answer 1

They were passed on by word of mouth and memory. Because a particular story may not be requested or told for some time, the story and its original writer's name was never remembered very precisely. After centuries of such record, the writer is forgotten completely.

Answer 2

This is because many ballads are songs that are so old nobody remembers who was the original author. They've been sung and read so many times throughout history, and people have added bits or changed bits or improved bits -- it's just impossible to figure out which one person wrote the original.

Answer 3

Old ballads were often passed down orally through generations, so their origins became lost over time. Additionally, many ballads were created by common people and not formally recorded, leading to their authorship being unknown. The focus was on the story and music rather than individual recognition.