(The Ring of the Nibelung), WWV 86, is a cycle of four epic music dramas by the German composer Richard Wagner. The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied. The composer termed the cycle a "Bühnenfestspiel" (stage festival play), structured in three days preceded by a ("preliminary evening"). It is often referred to as the Ring Cycle, Wagner's Ring, or simply The Ring.