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Upon reading the fairytales, I considered what made them fairytales...what was the fairytale model? There is frequently a trial of some kind; the human spirit is tested for what it can endure.  Cinderella endures sensless abuse at the hands of her tormenters, her stepsisters and their ring leader, Cinderella's stepmother.  Evil Stepmother emptily promises Cinderella that if she succeeds in recovering, first one dish and then two more dishes of lentils, from a pile of ash, that Cinderella may attend the King's festival.  Cinderella's efforts are buttressed by "tame pigeons" and "turtle doves." In the story of Cinderella, the number three is deliberately employed: "thrice a day," Cinderella weeps at the hazel-bush she plants atop her mother's grave, three times, Cinderella dances with the prince, three dishes of lentils is she challenged to retrieve, and again...it takes the prince three tries of the golden slipper to find his true maiden. 

Tranformation is another element of a fairytale.  Yeh-Shen aided by the spirit of her fish friend, undergoes a change from rags to a blue silk gown and golden sandals. Then, the title of this African tale does explaining enough, "A Boarhog for a Husband." 

Along with trials, transformations, and the significance of numbers, there is the element of a riddle/chant/spell/prayer (call it what you will).  Remember,  "Scoops, scops, scambalay" and "the good into the pot, the bad into the crop."? This may simply be the lyricism evocative of an oral tradition.