”My understanding if there is a known author then the song cannot be traditional, but that defies logic on a few counts. So I admit to being confused as to what exactly is meant by traditional songs or lyrics, mediated or not.”

I don’t think many people would demand author anonymity as a qualification. As far as I’m concerned, traditional songs are those that have been passed on from one generation to another, though how many generations are required is still something that might be argued about. Steve Roud in ‘Folk Song in England’ suggests two. But this really is a minefield we should think twice about venturing across...