Christopher Polhem (1661-1751), called the father of Swedish mechanics, is the most famous figure in Swedish history of technology and the nation's foremost inventor ever. Remarkably enough, a close survey in the form of a monograph has never been written on this inventor who in many ways initiated the technical and industrial development of Sweden. In this project Polhem will for the first time receive a broad and in-depth description and analysis. The research is based on cognitive semantics, a research field that takes the human ability to think in metaphors as its departure. A central question will be to find out the metaphorical mind's significance for technical innovations. A great part of the project concerns Polhem and the Swedish mine industry, and the inventions in connection to this. Further, about one of the very first industries in Sweden, Stjärnsund's manufacture works in Dalecarlia. This will get an insight to how creative, technical environments are established. Polhem's other technical projects also receive attention, such as the dock in Karlskrona and Göta canal. But beside these technical aspects other facets of Polhem will also be illuminated, facets that hitherto have been more or less unknown. These concern Polhem as a natural philosopher, his theories on the inner structure of matter, the creation of the world, the processes of life, language, education, and the relation between theory and practice. In total this will give an overall picture of a many-sided thinker.