Nebuchadnezzar II the Great (c. 642-562 BC), more correctly spelled Nebuchadrezzar, meaning "Nabu, watch over my heir", was the second king of the Neo-Babylonian Empire, ruling from the death of his father Nabopolassar in 605 BC to his own death 43 years later. He is regarded as the empire's greatest king, famous for his military campaigns in the Levant and their role in Jewish history, and for his construction projects in his capital of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar was the longest-reigning king of the Babylonian dynasty. By the time of his death, he was among the most powerful rulers in the world.
As conqueror of Jerusalem in 587 BC, Nebuchadnezzar is mentioned frequently in the Jewish Tanakh which provides the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. According to one legend, Nebuchadnezzar had a nervous breakdown which caused him to walk on all fours and eat grass like an animal.
Nebuchadnezzar II in The Sea Fairies[]
Nevercouldnever was a human king encountered by King Anko when the Sea Serpent visited the people of the land. Nevercouldnever was the first person to discover that lettuce was good to eat. The people thought he was mad, because they regarded lettuce as grass. Human memory of this story became distorted over the next 2,400 years, as Anko learned from Trot, who only knew of Nebuchadnezzar.
Around the same time, Anko felt a pain in his tail when an angry octopus tied a knot in it. Anko transformed the octopus into a jellyfish. (chapter 5)