c Confidence Mystique: The magic word confidence suggests mutual trust, certainty of truth, self-assurance, and the sharing of secret matters. Origins: The word confidence is derived from the Latin confidere, meaning "have full trust." In Literature: • "The magical words 'in confidence' seemed to be a kind of Open Sesame." -- Agatha Christie, Dumb Witness (19 7) Confundus Origins: Confundus is from the Latin word meaning "to perplex" (condfundo). In Literature: • Confundus is a confusion spell in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Row- ling (2000). Constantinople Mystique: Tell us about Constantinople! . . . Is it true the streets are paved with precious stones, and the fountains spew liquid gold? -- Donna Cross, Pope Joan (1996) Place names, especially ones steeped in history (like the "wonders of the ancient world"), are potent with magic. Several books21 discuss the primordial magic power inherent in naming things. Suffice it to say that names "have an occult associative and symbolic power. They are charms." Now called Istanbul, Constantinople is the former Byzantine capital. "Byzantium is the 'magic place,'" a picturesque, romantic city that has served as the "bridge between east and west" and "the crossroads of the universe."24 21 See Magic in Names and Other Things (1920) and The Language of Names (1997). 22 Justin Kaplan, The Language of Names (1997) 2 Helen Vendler, quoted in Hagia Sophia, 1850-1950 by Robert S. Nelson (2004) 24 Stephen Turnbull, The Walls of Constantinople AD 324-1453 (2004)