The article discusses some mythological creatures, as representatives of the "alien" world in Mansi folklore, as well as the mythological function of the border in the structuring of space of the Northern ethnic group. The material of the study was the texts of Mansi fairy tales published in various folklore collections, in periodicals, as well as field materials of the author. A hermeneutic method is used in the work, the principles of historicism and a systematic approach are reflected.

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... is of Mansi folklore texts showed that the Mansi people include their family, village, kin, nationality, ethnic group in their own circle. All of them are united by language, appearance, religion. Wrong things were perceived by Mansi as a threat. Accordingly, such objects as "others", "otherworldly", "strangers", "outlanders", "enemies" relate to the category of "them". Own things are perceived as something positive, but foreign things on a subconscious level are perceived as negative and cause negative emotions. The presence of the main type of the opposition "us - them" in the mythological picture of the Mansi world is represented by us through the schemes, reflecting different methods of interaction between "us" and "them". The author expresses her gratitude to all informants who know the Mansi language and traditional culture of the Mansi people, as well as anonymous reviewers.