Sacred to the Touch examines the spiritual and intellectual projects of six modern Nordic and Baltic artists who create sculptures of religious significance in the ancient and culturally-charged medium of wood. In interviews and analyses of works of art by Finnish, Lithuanian, Norwegian-American, Smi, and Swedish artists, most of whom are self-taught or learned their art informally from other artists, folklorist Thomas A. DuBois explores the notions of continuity that such artists seek to express or obtain through their creative acts. The study presents the historical sources and periods that Else Bigton, SisterLydia Mariadotter, Phillip Odden, Eva Ryynnen, Algimantas Sakalauskas, and Lars Levi Sunna draw on in their works, ranging from pre-Christian to medieval Catholic, to conversion-era, to Reformation-era to modern and postmodern, and Neo-pagan. Through images and descriptions, the chapters reveal the interplay of notions of tradition and personal and communal identity as these shape the works of artists living in some of the most secularized societies of modern Europe. The study contributes to the fields of Art History, Baltic Studies, Folklore Studies, Religious Studies and Scandinavian Studies.