also: かいじん · わたつみ · わだつみ
noun
Refers to a deity of the sea in Japanese mythology, or by extension to classical Western sea gods like Poseidon or Neptune. The readings わたつみ and わだつみ are archaic/poetic and specifically denote the Japanese sea god.
海神ポセイドンはギリシャ神話の神だ。
The sea god Poseidon is a deity in Greek mythology.
古事記には海神わたつみが登
The sea god Watatsumi appears in the Kojiki.
noun
Only with reading わたつみ / わだつみ
Archaic/poetic use, restricted to the readings わたつみ and わだつみ. Not used in modern standard Japanese; the common word for sea/ocean is 海 (うみ).
わたつみの底には龍宮城があると信じられていた。
It was believed that the Dragon Palace lay at the bottom of the sea.
Kana spelling for the archaic reading わだつみ, a variant of わたつみ.
Archaic/poetic kanji spelling for the sea god, using ateji. Associated with the reading わたつみ.
Kana spelling for the archaic reading わたつみ, used in classical contexts.
海神 is composed of 海 (sea) and 神 (god). The reading わたつみ is of native Japanese origin, likely from 海 (わた) + つ (archaic possessive particle) + 神 (み, an old word for spirit/god). The kanji 綿津見 is ateji for わたつみ.