Great War

My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war.

"The War" is a currently unnamed and largely conflict that occurred four to five generations (roughly a hundred years) before the events of RWBY.

Background


So far, the War has only been mentioned in one (possibly three) episodes. The first mention of "The War" was in The Shining Beacon, by Jaune Arc, who reveals that his sword and shield, Crocea Mors, was passed down from his great-great-grandfather, who fought in the war. The simplistic design of Crocea Mors in comparison to other weapons seen in the series may give some clues as to the nature of the weaponry used in the war.

The possible second mention of the War was in Black and White by Blake Belladonna, when she was explaining the origins of the White Fang. She states that "In the ashes of war, the White Fang was meant to be a symbol of peace and unity between Humans and the Faunus." However, whether Blake was referring to the Faunus Rights Revolution rather than The War, or if the two conflicts were even discrete events, remains unknown.

The third possible mention of the War was mentioned during A Minor Hiccup by Weiss Schnee in regards to a "Great War" which in the aftermath led to the Kingdom of Atlas developing and sharing the Cross Continental Transmit system to allow for communication among the four kingdoms.

The War is elaborated upon by Professor Ozpin during a speech to an assembly of students from all the four kingdoms. The War is stated to have been the largest conflict in recorded history, and ended eighty years prior to the present. He states that the war was fought over the very idea of individualism, between those who in their greed and ignorance wished to destroy all forms of art and self-expression against those who opposed their tyranny. Those who fought for freedom would succeed in their struggle, and as a part of their legacy they began naming their children after the fundamental aspect of art, color, to demonstrate that they and future generations would always oppose oppression, a trend that continues into the present era.