Thursday 25 August 2011

Double-yolk eggs: folklore and superstition

When I was cooking egg and chips for me and my partner the other day, not one but two of the eggs I cracked into the frying pan had double yolks!

I was very surprised - I can't remember the last time I found even one double-yolker. I photographed them, as I wasn't sure anyone would believe me without photographic evidence. You can see them in the pan along with a single-yolk egg, although one of the double yolks broke as it was cooking.

After I'd eaten my lunch - and it was scrummy - I did some research to find out what a double-yolk egg means in folklore and superstition.

I'd assumed a double yolker would be a sign of good luck and prosperity but some initial reading and web browsing came up with conflicting information. Some people even suggested that it would mean a death in the family. Others said a marriage was impending or that I would soon become pregnant - perhaps with twins!

According to The Encyclopedia of Superstitionsby Richard Webster: "Double-yolked eggs are believed to be a sign of good luck. (However, in some parts of Britain a double-yolked egg is a warning of death.)"

Baby Lore - Superstitions and Old Wives Tales from the World Over Re: Pregnancy, Birth and Motherhoodby Rosalind Franklin says that according to Romany Gypsy folklore: "Finding a double yolk in an egg means someone in the immediate family is pregnant. If the woman already knows she is pregnant, it means she will have twins."

Well, being an optimist I am more inclined to believe in happy predictions than omens of doom. As I am already married myself, and not planning to start a family, I'm hoping my double-yolk eggs mean good luck is coming my way, perhaps along with the news that one of my younger relatives is engaged to be married or expecting a new - and wanted - arrival.

The Encyclopedia of Superstitionswent on to explain the science behind double-yolked eggs: "Approximately one egg in every thousand is double-yolked. These are produced by hens who have just started laying eggs (as their reproductive cycle is still working out how to perform the task correctly), or by hens who ovulate too quickly."

In case you are interested, the eggs were large free range eggs from The Happy Egg Co. I wonder if happy eggs are more likely to have double yolks than those produced by miserable hens in factory farms?

46 comments:

Bibliogirl said...

One egg in a thousand? Hmm. I had one box of eggs earlier this year -- also from Happy Egg, now that I think about it -- which was at least five out of six double-yolks; it may even have been all six ;)

James C. Wallace II said...

All it really means is that the yolks on you! LOL!!

Gemma said...

I had to post ! I just had two double yolkers (making gingerbread men) in small eggs by the happy egg co too !
Maybe happy chickens make bigger eggs lol !

Mandy 'Rowan' Crawford said...

The other half and myself had some fried eggs for dinner last night - he cracked 4 into the pan, all of which were double yolkers!! (I wish I'd been as smart as you and taken pictures though....

These were free range, and Morrisons brand. Like you, I wonder if free range eggs are more likely to be doubles than battery farmed aggs.......

Anonymous said...

It's East Sunday 2012, and I was deviling eggs this morning. Cut into one and it was a double yolk. I immediately recalled someone telling me it is good luck. I better not be pregnant, since my husband has been snipped! I took a picture and posted it to Facebook. Several of my friends said indeed it means good luck.

Arti said...

I'm a pagan from the USA and had to look this up because I have found THREE double yolks out of the same carton! I can't believe it! We're not even half-way through the lot yet either!

Unknown said...

Just cooking my lunch today, cracked two eggs both with double yolks... Also free range organic eggs.

I've never gotten one before let alone two so thought I'd do a little reading before I carried on with my lunch. Like yourself I'm going to take the omen sunny side up! Good luck!

Anonymous said...

I just got 5 double yolk eggs out of 6 - when I got the first one I couldn't believe it and them when I continued to crack the others I was getting more and more spooked! - I took a photo and put it on my Facebook page! Could do with some good luck right now so fingers crossed! I'm married but don't think I'm pregnant, off to the pharmacy for a test kit. My eggs were Morrison brand free range box of 6

Anonymous said...

Okay...had a double yolker this morning and now I am a mess! The last time I had double yolkers was last November and I had 3 in one carton...I immediately found out a close friend (WHO DID NOT WANT CHILDREN) was pregnant, I had to pull dead puppies out of my neighbors dachsund and the son I gave up for adoption found me...all of this happened immediately after the eggs and on consecutive days...oh my...

Badwitch said...

They say things come in runs of three - so seeing as you had three bits of bad luck last time you had double-yolkers, I reckon you are due three bits of good luck this time.

Mulled Red said...

I live in Saudi Arabia and we buy eggs that are all double yolkers consistently and they are always avaiable. The chickens that we buy to eat here are smaller than in the UK so mabe it is because all of the hens are young layers, I wouldn't imagine that they are free range here.

Skrits said...

I just got 7 double yolks in a row, also from free range chickens. I do believe that happy chickens make double yolk eggs. At least, it's nice to think that.

Anonymous said...

For breakfast this morning I had my typical egg on a piece of toast. The egg was laid yesterday, on my 30th birthday, by one of my free range hens. It was also a double-yolker...

Anonymous said...

My history with double-yolks eggs is ...crack one, then (within hours or days) lose my job. Perhaps a blessing? Good luck? Hard to say, given my most recent double-yolk was end of last week, and I am unemployed as of today. Ha!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, to all, who've shared their perspectives!

Anonymous said...

I crack 5 egg of yolks last year and we never had twins in my family before but it happens after 10s of years to my cousin sister i dont believe in bad lucks and even if its badluck i do believ after the dark night comes day light so after the badluck comes a very big goodluck. Dis morning i crack one with double yolk dis time i wish i would be the one with twins yea is me Thank to God

Leslie said...

We once had 12 out of 12 double-yolkers! I felt
like I'd entered the Twilight Zone. They were from Trader Joe's here in Los Angeles - Organic, Jumbo,
Free-Range. We rarely get even one, so all 12 in
one box!!!???

Anonymous said...

I actually started searching double yolked eggs because I found one three days ago and I got curious. Im sure people will think Im lieing but my Uncle died today. So yea...

Unknown said...

Last year, we moved across the U.S. to my grandparents' home (they both passed away in 2010). My two older daughters from a previous marriage came with us to hang out for a few weeks and then head back to their dad's house. I bought a dozen eggs at the store and they ALL turned out to be double yolked! I continued to buy that brand and didn't have any more double yolks again. My daughters came back for a visit this year and when I opened a new crate of a dozen eggs...they were, once again, ALL double yolks!

Unknown said...

I too have cracked double yolks not once but twice this week alone I couldn't believe it twice in the same week,
So I took it as good luck is coming my way as I am already 28 weeks pregnant and married. :)
B.Williams.

Unknown said...

I too has just cracked a double yolk not once but twice this week alone. I could not believe it, so I took as maybe some good luck is coming my way as I am already 28 weeks pregnant and married,
Fingers crossed it isn't bad luck.
:)

Anonymous said...

just had a double yolk egg this morning and tonight won 49 quid.whopee.

Anonymous said...

5 double yolks this morning. I know that my farmer has new hens; hence the scientific explanation of regulating the cycle of a young hen. I surely will keep an eye out for that good luck though!

Anonymous said...

I just lost my second pregnancy in 20 months both were boys and both still born, this morning we found a double yolker - the first I ever have had, a lucky black tiny spider on my other halfs ear and got three four leaf clovers in the post from a friend in the USA, all in the space of an hour. I am praying and hoping it is a good omen for a pregnancy that will result in a healthy baby, blessings

Anonymous said...

I'm in France and come across double yolk egg every two to three years, then this evening I had three in a row, out of a carton of 6 and I haven't touched the other three...I will keep you posted should they be equally enriched.

Anonymous said...

First time I ever cracked a double egg yolk I was 45 years old. Got it from a farm in North Carolina as a gift. That was Nov 2014. Haven't had an egg since then until this week of May 11 2015. Bought a carton from my local bodega and FIVE out of the 12 were double yolks!!!!!! That's gotta be good luck. And yes, I was as excited as a 3 year old. I'm playing the lottery! :-)

Anonymous said...

Craziest thing ever... I had to search & came upon your blog. Last week, as usual, I bought the same carton of eggs I always do, Lucerne Jumbo. My husband likes the big ones; lol. So, every morning my husband has his 2 egg breakfast sandwich. The first two double eggs we were excited over, the next two were definitely a surprise, the two after that left us in shock! Really? A half dozen eggs all doubled?!? So I played the lottery. By now we're thinking it's not possible to have more but like clockwork... 2 more double eggs! This makes 8 eggs! So, this morning, I'm somewhat tentative, while pausing over the carton, slowly I crack that egg, sure enough, egg 9 is a double and then egg 10 is also a double! What the heck?!? That poor chicken!!! I had to find out what all this means; it's crazy! I have 2 more eggs left in that carton & after the carton is gone, I will surely be sad not to see those double sunny spheres again! However, my hope is that poor chicken will have her relief; lol! 😌

Anonymous said...

Back around 1985 in New Orleans, I had a toddler/baby that I fed a scrambled egg for breakfast quite frequently. My husband was in the Navy and I almost always shopped at the Commissary on base, but for some reason I had shopped at a local Schwegmann's grocery store where I had purchased a dozen eggs. When I cracked the first one to cook for my son's breakfast, I was surprised to see that it was a double yolk, the first I had ever seen. The next morning, I again cracked an egg for my son's breakfast, and again, it was a double yolk. This happened again on the third day and I mentioned it to a New Orleanian friend. She told me that I undoubtedly had come across a carton of "Voodoo eggs" that were usually set aside for practitioners. I had some anxiety about that, seeing as how I'd been feeding "Voodoo eggs" to my baby, but my friend reassured me that double yolk eggs were used exclusively for blessings. So, I continued to feed the eggs from that carton to my baby and every single one of the dozen was a double yolk. My son turned out fine, by the way.

Anonymous said...

Well I nearly Died and I am only 43 years old I had a massive Heart attack and then went into Cardiac arrest in hospital and had to get shocked twice to get my heart beating again.

I had 2 stents inserted into one of my main arteries.

I just stumbled across pictures I took of eggs in the pan, I cracked open 4 eggs into the pan.
On 22/08/2017 2 of the 4 eggs where Double yolk. (I still have the Pics)

After I saw them in the pan i had a feeling that they meant something.
I looked it up online and read all sorts of stuff.

So yes be very worried if you crack double yolk eggs open in a pan.

I am lucky to still be alive today.


Anonymous said...

This morning 2/1/2018 to my surprise i cracked 2 eggs and both had double yolks !! all i could say was WOW !!! i'm a believer in happy good happy omens so i'm taking this as a good omen, i have read that some say its a bad omen YIKESSSS !! but i only believe in good omens and don't dwell on negativity.

Unknown said...

Cracked my first doubled yolked last night.
I did loose my job today. Maybe good luck?
I also could be pregnant with twins. A possibility. Still pretty cool. Free range eggs as well

Unknown said...

Cracked my first doubled yolked last night.
I did loose my job today. Maybe good luck?
I also could be pregnant with twins. A possibility. Still pretty cool. Free range eggs as well

Leida said...

Today is the third day of getting double yolks. I’ve used 10 eggs out of the box 8 of which were double yolks. I also took a picture the first time it happened, it was such a rare event turning out to be common for this box. I remembered growing up something about good luck and pregnancy so today after 10 double eggs in a box I decided to google it was surprised with the mixed results. I loved your blog about it as it totally resonates with how I feel. I’m curious to see if the last two eggs of the box will be double yolkers ☺️

Unknown said...

Two mornings in a row now, I have cooked breakfast for my Husband and I. Nothing special, scrambled eggs and bacon. But both mornings I cracked the eggs and had not one but two double yoked eggs. Wow..what are the odds of this and it's so very wild!

Unknown said...

I cracked an egg with two yolks in before, and later on. I had twin boys. :)

King Henry IX said...

I just opened one from Costco. I am a guy. The only thing that happened to me was I took two number 2's in the bathroom. No luck in life. No time limit on good luck either?

Unknown said...

I just cracked open a double egg after finding out my sister in law is pregnant. LOL, as long as it's not me!

Tammy said...

Wow all these comments make me a little nervous. I just had a double yolker with my breakfast this morning. I’m nervous first of all because for health reasons I actually tossed the yolks and only ate the whites then freaked myself out hoping I didn’t ruin my luck if that’s what it symbolizes especially if it was about my boys! I immediately had to search the meaning and found this blog. Not sure if I feel better or worse. I’m in the process of getting divorced and setting my family free from years of domestic abuse and slaves within the mind of someone who’s severely mentally ill. My atty starts filing today and my anxiety is so high I’m trying to not let my panic attacks return like when we were with him! I’m hoping it’s a luck sign & not death. Oh and please not pregnancy I have two daughters lol. This is gonna be a long week!

Anonymous said...

So I first cracked open a double yolk 2 weeks ago, I felt like it was good luck until I got a message that my boyfriend was having a baby with someone else. I got up today to fix breakfast and again, another egg with 2 yolks. I'm too afraid of any news after what happened the first time. I hope she isn't pregnant with twins; we were trying to get pregnant since I lost our baby 6 months ago. Not sure if this is good or bad news but that's my double yolk story

Argent Vive said...

Cracked three eggs, all three were double-yoked. I read another bit of folklore that said bake them in a cake to increase your luck. All 3 were put in a spice cake. Nice.

Anonymous said...

I today 7/30/2020 I took cracked first two eggs that are double yolk eggs and then the third one was also doubled yolk Jumbo eggs from Hillandale Farms. It was also a shocker and excitement for me and I searched. I too take that my wife to be will become pregnant with twin girls and we will become successful.

Unknown said...

I was baking a quiche & two of the eggs were double yolkers! What a surprise since I'd never ever cracked any before. Hoping for good luck. Wish I had taken a picture.!! Hope my quiche turns out OK. I used 3 eggs instead of 5 because of the double yolks!!

Chicken lady said...

I have a Rhode Island Red hen that lays a jumbo double yolk egg every other day. I got them for that reason. My Grandfather said they were the best egg layers and often laid double yolkers. Not buying the 1 in a thousand opinion.

FamilyCreations said...

Reading your article/writing was very interesting. Was a great read; as well as, the many comments here. I am not sure how to take the double yoke finding. This morning I had cracked an egg and got twins eggs again lol. I decided to search something up only because in the last month or actually under a months time I have had 3 days of having twin... yoke eggs for breakfast. I am truly hoping it is no bad health thing for me and it is something good. I have been trying to send good thoughts and vibes to the universe to enlightening me and educate me on the reasons for 3 days... in less than a months time coming across twins yokes. Because I have rarely came across them. Would love it if anyone had an insite on coming across that many in such a short time and possible meanings or beliefs.
Hope everyone has an amazing day.
Blessed Be

Anonymous said...

Were you pregnant?

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