In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus spent ten years trying to return to Ithaca.
Odysseus had already spent ten years fighting in the Trojan War when the poem’s journey begins. His return voyage then lasted another decade, bringing the total time away from Ithaca to twenty years. The Odyssey describes the final part of this long homecoming, including encounters with the Cyclops, Circe, the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis, and Calypso.
The poem begins when Odysseus is still stranded on Calypso’s island. The gods eventually permit him to leave, and he reaches the Phaeacians, who help transport him to Ithaca. There he disguises himself as a beggar, tests the loyalty of his household, and reunites with Penelope after defeating the suitors.
The ten-year voyage and ten-year war are distinct figures. The Odyssey is traditionally attributed to Homer and was composed in archaic Greek, probably in the late eighth or early seventh century BCE, though the exact date and historical basis remain debated.