The article is devoted to the study of samples of Khanty folklore, united by a plot about a greedy mouse. The material was found in open sources of the Internet and in publications. The study included 16 samples, 13 of them were
provided with audio recording, 11 were performed with singing. The author has completed a description and com-
parison of plots, clarified the genre of the texts, described and schematically notated the melodies, compared the
melodies with each other, compared the melodies and plots. As a result, two main plots were identified: «The Swallowed Mouse» and «Bursting Belly». Of the 16 samples, four relate to song genres, 12 – to fairy tales that are told or
sung. Comparison of the lyrics and melodies showed that the plot “Bursting Belly” is constantly combined with
melody number 1. Melodies of fairy tales and songs about the mouse have a number of features in common. They
are distinguished by a one-line structure (two isotemporal half-lines), the presence of rhythmic formulas, the predominance of a five-step diatonic. Rhythmic-melodic clichés from the tales of the greedy mouse are also characteristic of the mythoepic songs (stories about the bear) of the Bear-Feast. A historical analogy is found for the only
fairytale melody that differs from the others. This is a close version of the mouse song melody from the performance
at the Vogul Bear-Feast. The melody was recorded by A. Kannisto on a phonograph at the beginning of the 20th
century, the score was made and published by A. Väisänen in 1937.
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