It's been raining rather heavily today - which reminded me of the old saying "it's been raining cats and dogs"… It's kind of a strange saying, so I got curious about its origin, and with the help of Google, I found out that the first recorded use of a phrase similar to "raining cats and dogs" dates back to 1651, where it was mentioned in a poem, but other than that no one really knows the precise source of this English expression.
It might have its roots in Norse mythology, where cats at one time were thought to have influence over storms and were associated with Odin (especially by sailors), and dogs were the symbols of storms, so when some particularly violent tempest appeared, people suggested it was caused by cats (bringing the rain) and dogs (the wind).
Every picture tells story, this really shows how heavy the rain has fallen. Been using that saying all my life and never really thought of it's origin. Thanks for the insight.
