--- a/src/hotspot/share/memory/universe.cpp	Wed Jan 31 10:55:49 2018 -0800
+++ b/src/hotspot/share/memory/universe.cpp	Fri Sep 08 10:46:46 2017 -0700
@@ -111,6 +111,7 @@
 oop Universe::_system_thread_group                    = NULL;
 objArrayOop Universe::_the_empty_class_klass_array    = NULL;
 Array<Klass*>* Universe::_the_array_interfaces_array = NULL;
+oop Universe::_the_null_sentinel                      = NULL;
 oop Universe::_the_null_string                        = NULL;
 oop Universe::_the_min_jint_string                   = NULL;
 LatestMethodCache* Universe::_finalizer_register_cache = NULL;
@@ -195,6 +196,7 @@
   assert(_mirrors[0] == NULL && _mirrors[T_BOOLEAN - 1] == NULL, "checking");
 
   f->do_oop((oop*)&_the_empty_class_klass_array);
+  f->do_oop((oop*)&_the_null_sentinel);
   f->do_oop((oop*)&_the_null_string);
   f->do_oop((oop*)&_the_min_jint_string);
   f->do_oop((oop*)&_out_of_memory_error_java_heap);
@@ -381,6 +383,11 @@
     initialize_basic_type_klass(longArrayKlassObj(), CHECK);
   } // end of core bootstrapping
 
+  {
+    Handle tns = java_lang_String::create_from_str("<null_sentinel>", CHECK);
+    _the_null_sentinel = tns();
+  }
+
   // Maybe this could be lifted up now that object array can be initialized
   // during the bootstrapping.