What is the Higgs Boson and how does it give particles their mass?

[SuperNova1]

I've recently been told about the higgs boson or "god particle" I've heard it somehow endows particles with their mass, it interacts with the 'larger' (ones with more mass) more than the smaller particles and basically tells them how much mass to have, I am wondering how it does this and also I am wondering what is actually is is it made up of quarks and protons and neutrons or is it is own type of particle

 

[jtbell]

You might start with this thread in our Particle Physics forum which someone else started just today:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=562156