Witchcraft and magical practice has been an indelible part of the human experience throughout recorded history. Wherever there are people, there are people practicing magic. It shows up in all sorts of places: tv shows, fantasy novels, and the strange shop on the corner that smells of incense and has shelves lined with crystals. But what if I told you there is an actual, formal discipline of study when it comes to the history and practice of magic?

Owen Davies is a professor of history at the University of Hertfordshire whose career has been spent largely researching witchcraft, magic, and ghosts. He is the president of The Folklore Society in the UK, and the author of - as of this recording - 16 publications on the subject. He is considered one of the world's leading academic experts on the study of witchcraft, and he took some time to chat with me about witch trials, the fact and fiction of real witches, and, of course, Taylor Swift.

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