Board Thread:Episode Discussion/@comment-25876992-20180302045729/@comment-4010415-20180501013410

73.Anon.52 wrote: ^ I don't think it's that complicated tbh

Swords are tools of war- destruction

Paintbrushes represent art, RWBY is animated and RT's ode to Anime, in other words- creation

the duality of the axe and laurel represents- choice

A lamp represents both light and fire- knowledge Yeah, Monty loved art of various kinds, to the point where he even wanted to encourage the fans to create fanworks of any and all kinds for RWBY, whether it was artwork, cosplay, music videos, etc. He commonly shared fanart he liked, he tried to make the characters' outfits somewhat convenient for cosplayers, and he actually tweeted links to some fan music videos. So, it makes sense that the Relic of Creation would be something connected with art.

Also... Mantle doesn't have an artistic backstory. Mistral does. Part of Mistral's culture is a dedication to the arts. Mantle banned art and expression before the Great War.