The tale belongs to the international cycle of the Animal as Bridegroom as a subtype, with few variants reported across Europe and in Spain.
The black man allows her a three-day visit and lends her a fine coach and coachman to take her home.
Back home, María spends three days there, when a female neighbour gives her a box of matches and a candle to better see her bedmate at night.
At night, María goes to sleep and senses her companion come to bed; she lights up the candle and a drop of wax falls on the black man's body.
The black man wakes up and admonishes her, saying he was nearing the end of his curse, but María ruined it; still, for her kindness, he gives her a ring that can grant everything she wishes by uttering a spell, and vanishes.
The youth appears at the appointed time while María is sifting the flour, and he also comments that a girl with soft hands cannot do such a task.
Out of the coach comes a handsome prince who greets María and explains she is no witch, but a virtuous woman who gave her life to save her father, and that he was the black man, enchanted into that form.
[14] According to Swahn, the husband's token (feather or ring) is what allows the heroine to humiliate her unwanted suitors (akin to some variants of tale type ATU 313, "The Magic Flight"), and the feather as the token appears in German, English and Irish variants.
[15][16] According to scholar Christine Goldberg, Swahn reported 17 variants of subtype 425N across Europe, in Ireland, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain and France.
[19] In a Spanish tale collected by folklorist Aurelio Macedonio Espinosa Sr. with the title Las tres ascuitas, an old woman has three daughters and gathers herbs for their three hares.
One day, the little birds are singing, and the mysterious man tells his wife his sister is marrying and allows her to visit them, but she must return pronto.
The girl goes back home and spends some time with her mother, who gives her a candle so she can see her husband at night.
The girl returns home to the mysterious husband and, while he is asleep, she lights up the candle and sees his true face: a man with a medallion on his chest and a washerwoman washing some rags.
Rei Tortuga, enraged at this betrayal, orders his majordomo, named N'Amet, to kill the girl and bring back her blood as proof of his deed.
N'Amet disobeys the orders and spares N'Elienoreta, giving her a magic book and teaching her a spell she can use with it, then departs.
[22] Another variant was published by author Jordi des Racó (pen name of Antoni Maria Alcover i Sureda) in 1913, in newspaper ''La Aurora'' [ca], wherein the heroine is given the magic book by a fairy.
Her father celebrates her restored health, and the servant returns the bird to King Frog, whose majordomo announces that the amphibian wants to marry the princess a year hence.
After she settles into his castle, King Frog explains he is a cursed prince, and only by marrying a princess he will be able to turn back to human form.
Enraged, King Frog orders his majordomo to take the princess to the forest, kill her and bring back a bottle with her blood.
The majordomo takes the princess to the forest, but spares her, killing a wild animal in her place, then returns to King Frog's palace.
As for the princess, she loses her way in the forest and meets fairy Estarella, who gives her a magic disc that can grant every she wishes.
At the same time, King Frog's palace, himself and his servants vanish into thin air, save for the majordomo, who escaped.
The hunter agrees and returns home to explains the situation to his three daughters: the elder two refuse, save for the youngest one.
The next day, a second suitor tries to hit on the girl, and she uses the magic bowl again, this time for the man to be kept busy opening and closing a door for the whole night.
The first humiliated suitor suggests the judge to adjourn the audience and for the scribe to muffle the girl's mouth before she utters any spell.
The next morning, the girl appears in court; the men muffle her and remove the bowl from her hands, which cracks apart on the ground.
The hunter returns home, dines with his wife and later explains the situation to his three daughters: the elder two refuse to go with the lizard, save for the youngest.
Now with a whole batch of bread, the girl goes to the market and sells her products, while commanding the concha to have people buy from her, not the other female bakers.
The girl returns to the bakery to work until the allotted time is up, then pays a visit to the inn she passed before, and finally reaches the lizard's meadow.
However, the hunter's elder daughter, on seeing the cadette's luck in marrying a rich suitor, prepares some food with poison and tries to give it to her sister, but she exchanges the dishes.