In the original film "Highlander", the word "Quickening" indicates the energy that makes a person immortal. When the immortal Ramírez is showing Connor MacLeod their abilities to survive deadly forces and to sense the emotions of living thing around them, he refers to these powers collectively as "the Quickening." When immortals are beheaded by another immortal, the Quickening energy releases from the dead one is absorbed into the surviving victor. This gives them stronger power and may increase their fighting ability and insight as well. In the original movie, Connor MacLeod (after being alive for over 400 years) shows keen insight into the feelings of people around him and when entering the home of a person who doesn't trust him he instantly knows where she would have hidden things in the room such as a weapon. Because evil immortals covet more power, they hunt down other immortals in order to absorb their energy. They hope that if they do this long enough, they will eventually be the last one alive, earning the Prize, the total collective Quickening energy of every other immortal.