We Who Love Ballads are of the faith that our precious narratives are not only archaic in & of themselves, but spun from a far older lore that gives meaty provenance to their very ancientness. Moreover - we hold these truths be be archetypical - nay atavistic - with respect of both Cultural & Mythic Process which recognises that whilst a quiestion like How Old is The Oldest...? might appeal on one level, one another is utter nonesense because (for the most part) these things don't operate with respect of conventional cronology. Looking for mythic analogues & prototypes is far more interesting than seeking vainly for the oldest version of something that must only be a written record of something even older...