The Gift of Death: Mortality in Middle-earth and Beyond
Signum University invites you to join us on Saturday, 11 April for TexMoot 2026. This hybrid event will take place at the Hampton Inn & Suites Houston Heights I-10 in Houston, TX, USA. As we return to the Lone Star State we invite you to join us to contemplate “The Gift of Death: Mortality in Middle-earth and Beyond”.
Register Here for TexMoot!
- $50.00 USD for In-Person Attendance
- $25.00 USD for Remote Attendance
“‘…what know ye of death?” To you it may be in pain, it may be bitter and a loss— but only for a time, a little taken from abundance, unless I have been told untruth. For ye know that in dying you do not leave the world, and that you may return to life. Otherwise it is with us: dying we die, and we go out to no return. Death is an uttermost end…”, J.R.R. Tolkien, The History of Middle-earth, Volume 10 – Morgoth’s Ring
At the heart of Tolkien’s sub-created world lies a fundamental and defining mystery: the Doom of Men. For the Elves, the Firstborn, immortality is their natural state. Their fëa (spirit) is bound to Arda for as long as it endures, and their hröa (body) withers only from grief or weariness. Yet, within the “long defeat” of a world marred by Melkor, this immortality transforms from a blessing into a burden. They are condemned to remember, to accumulate sorrow, and to watch all they love crumble eventually into dust.
To the Secondborn, Men, Eru granted a different nature, which he called the ‘Gift of Men’ – death: not as punishment, but as intrinsic to their being. It is a release and departure to a destiny utterly separate from the Circles of Arda. Where the Elves are bound to the music of creation, Men are introduced as a new Theme, their brief, vibrant lives characterized by a unique power: the ability to shape their own fate beyond the notes of the Ainulindalë.
This divergence generates one of the central existential tensions of Tolkien’s world. It frames the Elven perspective as one of poignant, beautiful tragedy, and the Human condition as one of both radical freedom and profound anxiety. The desire of Men to trade their gift for Elven immortality, and the corresponding Elven curiosity about, and sometimes envy of, the human release, fuels some of the legendarium’s greatest tragedies and most heroic sacrifices.
TexMoot seeks to explore the multifaceted concept of mortality as a “gift” throughout Tolkien’s writings. We invite presentations that examine how this core philosophical and theological idea shapes narrative, character, culture, and the very moral fabric of Middle-earth and beyond. The theme invites a deep interrogation of what it means to be mortal in a world shared with the immortal, and how the shadow of death gives meaning to life, love, and sacrifice. From the tragic refusal of the Gift by the Númenóreans to the sacrificial deaths of characters like Boromir and Théoden, we will examine how the acceptance or denial of mortality defines heroes, shapes cultures, and drives the very narrative of Middle-earth. Join us as we contemplate the beauty, sorrow, and ultimate hope found in the Gift of Death.
Submit Your Presentation Proposal Here!
The TexMoot Team is accepting proposals for creative presentations, academic papers, workshops, or discussion panels on our 2026 theme. We invite presentations in person at the event and from remote attendees. Our Call for Proposals closes on 11 March.
Please note that a conference theme helps tie the day together and optimize fun, and we welcome anyone to respond to the Call for Proposals. Our moots are supportive environments for practicing or developing your presentation skills regardless of your experience.
Please read our Regional Moot Recording and Privacy Notice. You will be required to agree to its contents in our registration system before completing your ticket purchase.
