Why does Odysseus refuse Calypso’s offer of immortality?

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Sixteenth-century engraving by Hieronymus Wierix depicting Homer, shown as an older man with a beard and laurel wreath, wearing a draped garment. — Odyssey: A Reader’s Guide to Homer’s Epic Engraving of Homer by Hieronymus Wierix, 16th century; in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus refuses the nymph Calypso’s offer of immortality because it cannot overcome his profound longing for home, known as nostos.12

While Calypso holds him captive on the island of Ogygia for seven years and promises him the status of an immortal husband, Odysseus remains steadfast in his desire to return to his kingdom of Ithaca, his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. His refusal highlights the central theme of the epic: the hero’s determination to reclaim his identity, kingship, and family despite the allure of divine comfort or eternal life. Ultimately, his release is secured only through the intervention of the gods, specifically when Athena pleads with Zeus to allow him to continue his journey.1234