The Girl Who Refused Suitors (Untombinde / Senkatana cycle of the tall maiden)
Sesotho folktale · ditšomo
Kwesukasukela... A proud and beautiful maiden refused every young man who came to court her, declaring none was good enough. One day a handsome stranger arrived, richer and more splendid than any suitor before, and she eagerly agreed to follow him to his home far away, against her parents' counsel. As they journeyed, the bridegroom began, piece by piece, to return borrowed finery to the animals and people he had passed: the smooth skin to one creature, the fine eyes to another, the strong limbs to yet another, until the beautiful stranger was revealed as a hideous ogre or many-headed monster who had only borrowed his good looks to trap her. The maiden realised too late that she had chosen by appearance alone. Through her own courage and wit, with help from a faithful younger sibling, a kindly old woman, or a magic helper, she escaped the monster's home and made the long, frightening journey back to her own people. She returned humbled, ready at last to accept an honest suitor from her own village. The tale, told to headstrong girls, warns against vanity and judging worth by surface beauty. Cosu cosu iyaphela.
The lesson: Do not judge by appearance or scorn honest suitors; pride and vanity can lead a person straight into danger.