Homer in the Odyssey and the Iliad used eponyms that were in common use in the language of the time, whether Greek, Sanskrit or some other. The 'epithets', as they came to be known, followed the metric rhythm of the verse to be sung by travelers and minstrels, within the poetry of Homer's epic tales of heros, adventurers, and myth. The word 'epithet' has come to mean something else in modern times, namely derogatory and insult.
As an artifact of Greek culture, I'd say the common tongue in Homeric days had a beat and cadence that would have seemed sing-song-ish, as if they were reciting. It reflects a tradition of ordered speech, as perhaps may be suggested by the orators of the day.
