The Ring of the Nibelung is a cycle of four music dramas written and composed by Richard Wagner. They break with the German operatic tradition by eschewing the populist influence of Italian opera—instead of clearly defined sections with hummable tunes, they proceed without interruption except for act breaks. All told, the whole thing can be more than fourteen hours long (depending on tempo), spread out over four consecutive nights. Right there is an obvious commonality with epic fantasy: Wagner is constitutionally incapable of concision.

You did not know me / from either inhabitant of Eden