Ryujin: Japanese Dragon God of the Sea

    Yet another unique god, Ryujin is not like other gods.  He is not human-like, though he can transform into a human form.  His normal form is that of a huge dragon, not that anyone's complaining.  A dragon who rules the sea; it sounds pretty cool.
    Like any other sea god, he has an underwater palace, which is called Ryugu.  Plus, he has many messengers to do his bidding, which are turtles and jellyfish.  He often sends these servants up to the surface to get things for him.  For example, he sends a jellyfish up to the surface to get a monkey's liver as a snack.  When the jellyfish found a  monkey, the monkey tricked it by saying that he already had his liver in a jar and offered to get it.  When the jellyfish told Ryujin how he got tricked, Ryujin punished the jellyfish by beating it until its bones were crushed.  That is why jellyfish don't have bones.
    While Ryujin rules over the sea, it's also his job to control the tides.  He does this by using his special Tidal Jewels.  These jewels are powerful, and they can be used to defeat enemies.  This was the case when an empress named Jingo prayed to Ryujin for help when she planned an invasion on Korea.  Ryujin sent her the Tidal Jewels to use.  When the Japanese fleet met the Korean fleet, Jingo threw the low tide jewel into the sea, and the tide receded.  The Koreans jumped out, but Jingo threw the high tide jewel.  The Koreans drowned, and the Japanese fleet sailed to the harbor and to victory.  Later, Ryujin gave the jewels to Jingo's son.

Symbols:  Tidal Jewels
Depiction: Dragon, human form with a serpent encircling his crown
Personality: Noble, wise
Palace: made of crystal and coral, filled with those who drowned in the sea