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A magician is sometimes called by other names, including wizard, enchanter, magus and mage. All basically mean the same thing, though. In fantasy stories and movies he or she has magical powers that they're born with and which they then learn to use through a lot of study. Usually, a magician in fantasy has a special gift, which most people don't have and which many really want. Wizards and warlocks and others who do magic can be good or bad, and Harry Potter's “Death Eaters” are the kinds who are really bad. The most evil user of magic of them all, Voldemort, took his special powers and turned them to do bad things, for example.
Modern magicians in real life are usually people who have spent much time in study and practice in how to use what's called “sleight-of-hand” or trickery and misdirection to create a kind of magic, or even magical feeling. Some of these magicians are called “illusionists” or “escape artists.” One of the most famous magicians of the early 1900s was a man named Harry Houdini, and he was famous for being one of the best escape artists of his day. He could escape from locked trunks that were thrown into deep water and do it like magic every single time.
Other escape artist magicians also use the art of illusion to create a feeling of mystery that relied upon specially-built equipment and even misdirection. They manage to get people to look at something else over in one direction while they do something very quickly in another direction. There have been many famous illusionists throughout history. Some have been able to make people think that they can rise magically into the air, or transport themselves magically from one cabinet to another. Criss Angel, the famous American illusionist, is probably the most well-known magician these days though there are numerous people practicing magic all over the world.
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