Abstract:
The paper presents the approach of writer and social scientist Gilberto Freyre (1900-1987) on the imaginary around the house, a central theme in his work. The imaginary, an essential dimension of human existence, in Freyre's work is studied from three instances. The first concerns the resources used to protect the home and family: prophylaxis, rituals, the role of fauna and flora, talismans and magical resources, as well as the saints. The other instance is that of the family extended to shelter invisible relatives, such
as saints and the dead, and the presence of ghosts. Finally, what we call fantastic ecology, which involves the meanings given to flora and fauna, the omens they brought and those supernatural creatures from nightmares.
