diff --git a/LibGit2Sharp.Tests/RepositoryFixture.cs b/LibGit2Sharp.Tests/RepositoryFixture.cs
index 9f7536025..22b93558d 100644
--- a/LibGit2Sharp.Tests/RepositoryFixture.cs
+++ b/LibGit2Sharp.Tests/RepositoryFixture.cs
@@ -26,7 +26,10 @@ public void CanCreateBareRepo()
                 Assert.Equal(scd.RootedDirectoryPath + Path.DirectorySeparatorChar, repo.Info.Path);
                 Assert.True(repo.Info.IsBare);
 
-                AssertInitializedRepository(repo);
+                AssertInitializedRepository(repo, "refs/heads/master");
+
+                repo.Refs.Add("HEAD", "refs/heads/orphan", true);
+                AssertInitializedRepository(repo, "refs/heads/orphan");
             }
         }
 
@@ -57,7 +60,10 @@ public void CanCreateStandardRepo()
 
                 AssertIsHidden(repo.Info.Path);
 
-                AssertInitializedRepository(repo);
+                AssertInitializedRepository(repo, "refs/heads/master");
+
+                repo.Refs.Add("HEAD", "refs/heads/orphan", true);
+                AssertInitializedRepository(repo, "refs/heads/orphan");
             }
         }
 
@@ -147,7 +153,7 @@ public void CreatingRepoWithBadParamsThrows()
             Assert.Throws<ArgumentNullException>(() => Repository.Init(null));
         }
 
-        private static void AssertInitializedRepository(Repository repo)
+        private static void AssertInitializedRepository(Repository repo, string expectedHeadTargetIdentifier)
         {
             Assert.NotNull(repo.Info.Path);
             Assert.False(repo.Info.IsHeadDetached);
@@ -155,7 +161,7 @@ private static void AssertInitializedRepository(Repository repo)
 
             Reference headRef = repo.Refs.Head;
             Assert.NotNull(headRef);
-            Assert.Equal("refs/heads/master", headRef.TargetIdentifier);
+            Assert.Equal(expectedHeadTargetIdentifier, headRef.TargetIdentifier);
             Assert.Null(headRef.ResolveToDirectReference());
 
             Assert.NotNull(repo.Head);
@@ -164,9 +170,11 @@ private static void AssertInitializedRepository(Repository repo)
             Assert.Null(repo.Head.Tip);
 
             Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.Count());
+            Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.QueryBy(new Filter()).Count());
+            Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.QueryBy(new Filter { Since = repo.Refs.Head }).Count());
             Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.QueryBy(new Filter { Since = repo.Head }).Count());
             Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.QueryBy(new Filter { Since = "HEAD" }).Count());
-            Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.QueryBy(new Filter { Since = "refs/heads/master" }).Count());
+            Assert.Equal(0, repo.Commits.QueryBy(new Filter { Since = expectedHeadTargetIdentifier }).Count());
 
             Assert.Null(repo.Head["subdir/I-do-not-exist"]);
 
diff --git a/LibGit2Sharp/CommitLog.cs b/LibGit2Sharp/CommitLog.cs
index 9abfc6988..149b4b278 100644
--- a/LibGit2Sharp/CommitLog.cs
+++ b/LibGit2Sharp/CommitLog.cs
@@ -59,11 +59,6 @@ public virtual GitSortOptions SortedBy
         /// <returns>An <see cref = "IEnumerator{T}" /> object that can be used to iterate through the log.</returns>
         public virtual IEnumerator<Commit> GetEnumerator()
         {
-            if ((repo.Info.IsEmpty) && queryFilter.SinceList.Any(o => PointsAtTheHead(o.ToString()))) // TODO: ToString() == fragile
-            {
-                return Enumerable.Empty<Commit>().GetEnumerator();
-            }
-
             return new CommitEnumerator(repo, queryFilter);
         }
 
@@ -92,11 +87,6 @@ public virtual ICommitLog QueryBy(Filter filter)
             return new CommitLog(repo, filter);
         }
 
-        private static bool PointsAtTheHead(string shaOrRefName)
-        {
-            return ("HEAD".Equals(shaOrRefName, StringComparison.Ordinal) || "refs/heads/master".Equals(shaOrRefName, StringComparison.Ordinal));
-        }
-
         /// <summary>
         ///   Find the best possible common ancestor given two <see cref = "Commit"/>s.
         /// </summary>
@@ -266,12 +256,25 @@ private void Sort(GitSortOptions options)
 
             private ObjectId DereferenceToCommit(string identifier)
             {
+                var options = LookUpOptions.DereferenceResultToCommit;
+
+                if (!AllowOrphanReference(identifier))
+                {
+                    options |= LookUpOptions.ThrowWhenNoGitObjectHasBeenFound;
+                }
+
                 // TODO: Should we check the type? Git-log allows TagAnnotation oid as parameter. But what about Blobs and Trees?
-                GitObject commit = repo.Lookup(identifier, GitObjectType.Any, LookUpOptions.ThrowWhenNoGitObjectHasBeenFound | LookUpOptions.DereferenceResultToCommit);
+                GitObject commit = repo.Lookup(identifier, GitObjectType.Any, options);
 
                 return commit != null ? commit.Id : null;
             }
 
+            private bool AllowOrphanReference(string identifier)
+            {
+                return string.Equals(identifier, "HEAD", StringComparison.Ordinal)
+                       || string.Equals(identifier, repo.Head.CanonicalName, StringComparison.Ordinal);
+            }
+
             private IEnumerable<ObjectId> RetrieveCommitOids(object identifier)
             {
                 if (identifier is string)
@@ -307,6 +310,12 @@ private IEnumerable<ObjectId> RetrieveCommitOids(object identifier)
                 if (identifier is Branch)
                 {
                     var branch = (Branch)identifier;
+                    if (branch.Tip == null && branch.IsCurrentRepositoryHead)
+                    {
+                        yield return null;
+                        yield break;
+                    }
+
                     Ensure.GitObjectIsNotNull(branch.Tip, branch.CanonicalName);
 
                     yield return branch.Tip.Id;