Scholar
Though he lacked the brilliant qualities of his rival Wallqvist, Nordin had the same alertness and penetration, and was more stable and disinterested. One of the most learned men of his day, he devoted his spare time to history, and discovered that many of the oldest and most cherished Scandinavian manuscripts were clever forgeries. Like Jean Hardouin he got to believe that a great deal of what is called classical literature was compiled by anonymous authors at a much later date, and he used frequently to startle his colleagues, the Gustavian academicians, by his audacious paradoxes.
Nordin left behind him a colossal collection of manuscripts, the so-called Nordinska Samlingarna, which were purchased and presented to Upsala University by Charles XIV of Sweden and form the groundwork of the well-known Scriptores rerum Suecicarum medii aevi.
Nordin published during his lifetime Handlingar till uplysning af svenska krigs-historien (Stockholm, 1787–1788). His academical addresses came out at Stockholm in 1818 under the title Minnen ofver namnkunniga svenska män. His Dagbok or Diary did not appear till 1868.
Read more about this topic: Carl Gustaf Nordin
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