This article presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of the water spirit archetype as manifested in English and Uzbek classical folklore. Drawing upon mythological, symbolic, and functional frameworks, the study examines the typological parallels and divergences between water spirit figures in the oral traditions of two culturally distinct literary heritages. The English folklore tradition, encompassing figures such as mermaids, water nymphs, kelpies, and Jenny Greenteeth, is compared with Uzbek folk narratives featuring the Suv parisi (water fairy), Suv ayoli (water woman), and related aquatic supernatural beings. Through the application of Jungian archetypal theory, Propp’s morphological analysis, and the Aarne–Thompson–Uther (ATU) motif index, this study identifies shared archetypal patterns rooted in universal human responses to water as a liminal element, while simultaneously highlighting the culturally specific moral, didactic, and cosmological functions these figures serve within their respective traditions. The findings reveal that despite geographical and cultural distance, both traditions employ water spirit figures as mediators between the human and supernatural worlds, as embodiments of feminine power and danger, and as narrative devices for enforcing social norms. However, the Uzbek tradition demonstrates a stronger integration with Islamic cosmology and Central Asian shamanic heritage, whereas English water spirits reflect pre-Christian Celtic and Germanic mythological substrata. This comparative analysis contributes to the broader field of cross-cultural folklore studies and offers insights into the universal and particular dimensions

water spirit, archetype, folklore, comparative analysis, English folklore, Uzbek folklore, Suv parisi, mermaid, typology, symbolism, oral tradition

Aarne, A. (1910). Verzeichnis der Märchentypen. Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia.

Ashliman, D. L. (2004). Folk and fairy tales: A handbook. Greenwood Press.

Baring-Gould, S. (1866). Curious myths of the Middle Ages. Rivingtons.

Basilov, V. N. (1992). Shamanstvo u narodov Srednei Azii i Kazakhstana [Shamanism among the peoples of Central Asia and Kazakhstan]. Nauka.

Benwell, G., & Waugh, A. (1961). Sea enchantress: The tale of the mermaid and her kin. Hutchinson.

Briggs, K. M. (1976). A dictionary of fairies: Hobgoblins, brownies, bogies, and other supernatural creatures. Allen Lane.

Briggs, K. M. (1978). The vanishing people: Fairy lore and legends. Pantheon Books.

Campbell, J. (1949). The hero with a thousand faces. Pantheon Books.

Dundes, A. (Ed.). (1984). Sacred narrative: Readings in the theory of myth. University of California Press.

Grimm, J. (1835). Deutsche Mythologie [German mythology]. Dieterich.

Henderson, L., & Cowan, E. J. (2001). Scottish fairy belief: A history. Tuckwell Press.

Jabborov, I. M. (1991). O‘zbek xalq etnografiyasi [Uzbek folk ethnography]. O‘qituvchi.

Jung, C. G. (1959). The archetypes and the collective unconscious (R. F. C. Hull, Trans.). Princeton University Press.

Mirzayev, T., Sarimsoqov, B., & Musaqulov, A. (Eds.). (2004). O‘zbek xalq og‘zaki poetik ijodi [Uzbek folk oral poetic creativity]. Fan.

Propp, V. (1968). Morphology of the folktale (L. Scott, Trans.; 2nd ed.). University of Texas Press. (Original work published 1928)

Snesarev, G. P. (1969). Relikty domusul’manskikh verovanii i obriadov u uzbekov Khorezma [Relics of pre-Islamic beliefs and rituals among the Uzbeks of Khorezm]. Nauka.

Thompson, S. (1955–1958). Motif-index of folk-literature: A classification of narrative elements in folktales, ballads, myths, fables, mediaeval romances, exempla, fabliaux, jest-books, and local legends (Rev. and enl. ed., 6 vols.). Indiana University Press.

Uther, H.-J. (2004). The types of international folktales: A classification and bibliography (Vols. 1–3). Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia.

Varner, G. R. (2009). Water of life, water of death: The folklore and mythology of sacred water. Algora Publishing.

Zarif, H. (1974). O‘zbek xalq ertaklari haqida [On Uzbek folk tales]. Fan.

Zhirmunskii, V. M. (1974). Tiurkskii geroicheskii epos [Turkic heroic epic]. Nauka.