Mantle

The Mantle is mentioned in the Terminals found on the Ark and on Installation 04 (II). While no exact definition of it exists, it is heavily implied that it is the source of the Forerunners' "authority", (similar to a religion) and is the reason why they fight the Flood—to protect their "charges" from the Parasite. It has been implied, albeit in a derogatory manner, that the Mantle was passed down to them by the Precursors, and that it has now been handed down to humanity. This could mean that it is a certain responsibility of the "holder" of the Mantle to make the decisions to ensure the protection and continuation of the living things in the galaxy. The Forerunners might have metaphorically "passed" the Mantle down to humanity by allowing their constructs (i.e. the Halo Array, the map inside the Forerunner artifact on Harvest) not only to be accessed, but for some to be used by humans.

Many Forerunners doubted the purpose of the Mantle, dismissing it as superstition and fairy tales. The Librarian, in particular, doubted that it was useful or benign, stating that she believed it responsible for the downfall of the Forerunners at the hands of the Flood. It is largely implied that this was indeed the case: the Mantle acted as a stumbling block to the progression of Forerunner society and ultimately was nothing more than an impediment.

Simply put, the Mantle was the Forerunner's belief that they had to preserve biological diversity in the galaxy, which would provide one reason for their heroic mass self-sacrifice by creating and firing the Halo Array in an effort to at least spare humanity. This belief is also the reason of why they classified and protected most living species they found (an example of this is that they built a portal to protect Earth). Thus, they were essentially the "Guardians of Life in the Galaxy"