diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp
index 774406c515068..b653a06b8774d 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/gc/shenandoah/shenandoahVerifier.cpp
@@ -327,8 +327,11 @@ class ShenandoahVerifyOopClosure : public BasicOopIterateClosure {
    */
   void verify_oops_from(oop obj) {
     _loc = obj;
-    Klass* klass = ShenandoahForwarding::klass(obj);
-    obj->oop_iterate_backwards(this, klass);
+    // oop_iterate() can not deal with forwarded objects, because
+    // it needs to load klass(), which may be overridden by the
+    // forwarding pointer.
+    oop fwd = ShenandoahForwarding::get_forwardee_raw(obj);
+    fwd->oop_iterate(this);
     _loc = nullptr;
   }
 
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.cpp b/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.cpp
index ef5e4db815a64..71c8aa406635c 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.cpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.cpp
@@ -153,8 +153,8 @@ bool oopDesc::is_objArray_noinline()    const { return is_objArray();    }
 bool oopDesc::is_typeArray_noinline()   const { return is_typeArray();   }
 
 bool oopDesc::has_klass_gap() {
-  // Only has a klass gap when compressed class pointers are used.
-  // Except when using compact headers.
+  // Only has a klass gap when compressed class pointers are used and not
+  // using compact headers.
   return UseCompressedClassPointers && !UseCompactObjectHeaders;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.hpp
index 7d69a1f961fb7..1bacec7f9a3b7 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.hpp
@@ -100,12 +100,12 @@ class oopDesc {
   // For klass field compression
   static inline void set_klass_gap(HeapWord* mem, int z);
 
-  // size of object header, aligned to platform wordSize
+  // Size of object header, aligned to platform wordSize
   static int header_size() {
     if (UseCompactObjectHeaders) {
       return sizeof(markWord) / HeapWordSize;
     } else {
-      return sizeof(oopDesc) / HeapWordSize;
+      return sizeof(oopDesc)  / HeapWordSize;
     }
   }
 
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ class oopDesc {
       // of LoadNKlass instructions. This value could be any value that is not a valid
       // field offset. Use an offset halfway into the markWord, as the markWord is never
       // partially loaded from C2.
-      return mark_offset_in_bytes() + sizeof(markWord) / 2;
+      return 4;
     } else
 #endif
     {
diff --git a/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.inline.hpp b/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.inline.hpp
index 63ba2fdc1a87c..2c0cf87ad7992 100644
--- a/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.inline.hpp
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/oops/oop.inline.hpp
@@ -292,6 +292,8 @@ bool oopDesc::is_self_forwarded() const {
 
 // Used by scavengers
 void oopDesc::forward_to(oop p) {
+  assert(cast_from_oop<oopDesc*>(p) != this,
+         "must not be used for self-forwarding, use forward_to_self() instead");
   markWord m = markWord::encode_pointer_as_mark(p);
   assert(m.decode_pointer() == p, "encoding must be reversible");
   set_mark(m);
@@ -312,6 +314,8 @@ oop oopDesc::cas_set_forwardee(markWord new_mark, markWord compare, atomic_memor
 }
 
 oop oopDesc::forward_to_atomic(oop p, markWord compare, atomic_memory_order order) {
+  assert(cast_from_oop<oopDesc*>(p) != this,
+         "must not be used for self-forwarding, use forward_to_self_atomic() instead");
   markWord m = markWord::encode_pointer_as_mark(p);
   assert(forwardee(m) == p, "encoding must be reversible");
   return cas_set_forwardee(m, compare, order);
@@ -398,7 +402,7 @@ void oopDesc::oop_iterate_backwards(OopClosureType* cl) {
 template <typename OopClosureType>
 void oopDesc::oop_iterate_backwards(OopClosureType* cl, Klass* k) {
   // In this assert, we cannot safely access the Klass* with compact headers.
-  assert(UseCompactObjectHeaders || k == klass(), "wrong klass");
+  assert(k == klass(), "wrong klass");
   OopIteratorClosureDispatch::oop_oop_iterate_backwards(cl, this, k);
 }