Songfacts®:

• In mythology, nymphs are female spirits associated with natural beauty like mountains, forests, rivers, and springs. They're young, graceful, and often seen singing, dancing, or playing instruments. They symbolize fertility and the circle of life.
  
  Here, Melanie Martinez likens herself to a nymph, rejecting objectification and insisting on respect.
• Martinez coined the word "Nymphology" for this song to describe how women are portrayed in our society. Martinez uses the term as an extended metaphor, pointing out how society expects women to look and act, and how this is reflected in popular culture and mythology, like the portrayal of nymphs.
  
  "I wanted it to be bratty and a commentary piece on the box a lot of men put femme presenting people in when they call us names like 'manic pixie dream girl,'" explained Martinez on her Instagram Stories. "Being forced to play the role of mom and healer, while they gaslight you and call you crazy the minute you communicate how you feel."
• You can't even spell but you're an "expert" in nymphology
  
  By satirically calling her romantic interest an expert in nymphology, Martinez highlights his bad behavior towards her.
• Martinez co-wrote the song with CJ Baran and Nick Long for her Portals album. "It was a really fun session," she said. "We made a bunch of different vibes and this one stuck out to us the most."
  
  CJ Baran contributed to 11 out of the 13 tracks on Portals. Nick Long is Machine Gun Kelly's regular writing partner.
• Two-thirds of the way through "Nymphology," it transitions into a new song produced by Martinez' boyfriend, Verde. Originally an instrumental that was shelved for a couple of years, Melanie decided to repurpose it for Portals.
  
  But instead of a full-length track, Martinez shortens it and transforms the tune into an interlude where she likens herself to an expensive piece of jewelry, symbolizing her worth. The interlude smoothly leads into the next track, "Evil," as the journey through Portals continues.
  
  "My partner Verde was cleaning out his computer and an instrumental randomly started playing and my ears perked up," said Martinez. "It was a track he had produced years ago that was just sitting there collecting digital dust. I immediately wrote over it, but writing a full song for it was difficult. I loved it so much and had no idea what to do with it.
  
  One day in the studio I randomly was like, 'Hmm, maybe 'Amulet' can be an interlude after a song,' and as fate had it, the very last note of 'Nymphology' is the very first note of 'Amulet.' A perfect puzzle piece."
• New York native Justin "Verde" Greenwood is a producer and photographer. Though he's worked on various photo shoots with Melanie Martinez before, this marks his debut production credit on one of her tracks.
• Martinez first teased "Nymphology" on March 18, 2023, during her Lollapalooza Argentina set, when she sang the song's outro prior to "Evil."
• Here's a brief history of artists referencing nymphs in their songs.
  
  1969 "Aretusa Loser" by Peter Sarstedt. Sarstedt has aimed too high and must accept the reality of ending up with someone less desirable than the ideal he had in mind, perhaps even a "poxy hag." The song draws inspiration from the Greek myth of Aretusa, a nymph who fled from the river god Alpheus when she discovered his interest in her. The mythological tale serves as a parallel to the singer's experience, highlighting the theme of unattainable love and the necessity of accepting more realistic options.
  
  1971 "The Fountain Of Salmacis" by Genesis. The song is based on the ancient myth about a nymph named Salmacis who fell in love with a young man named Hermaphroditus. When Hermaphroditus bathed in Salmacis's fountain, she embraced him and prayed to the gods to be united with him forever. The gods heard her prayer and merged their bodies together, transforming Hermaphroditus into an androgynous being.
  
  1976 "Sara" by Bob Dylan. "Sara" is a love song by Dylan to his wife, Sara Lownds. In the line "Sara, oh Sara. Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow," Dylan compares his wife to a nymph who is both beautiful and dangerous. The arrow and bow suggest that Sara is a force to be reckoned with, but also that she is capable of great love.
  
  1987 "Calypso" by Suzanne Vega. Vega takes on the persona of Calypso, the sea nymph in Homer's Odyssey, who rescued the shipwrecked Ulysses and held him captive on her island for seven years out of love for him. However, when Zeus sends Hermes to instruct Calypso to release Odysseus, she does so begrudgingly. Vega's song captures this tale of unrequited love and divine intervention, retelling the story of the sea nymph who waylaid the hero with her enchanting voice.
  
  2013 "Undine" by Laura Marling. In this song, Laura Marling draws a comparison between herself and the wrathful water nymph from German mythology, Undine. Like Undine, Marling sings of a lover's betrayal and the resulting desire for revenge. She invokes the image of the sea, suggesting that it is a source of power and strength for her, as it is for the mythical figure of Undine.