diff --git a/lib/oga/xpath/compiler.rb b/lib/oga/xpath/compiler.rb
index e51f769..32f6937 100644
--- a/lib/oga/xpath/compiler.rb
+++ b/lib/oga/xpath/compiler.rb
@@ -204,15 +204,17 @@ module Oga
       # @param [Oga::Ruby::Node] input
       # @return [Oga::Ruby::Node]
       def on_axis_descendant_or_self(ast, input)
-        node = node_literal
+        node = unique_literal(:descendant)
 
-        process(ast, input)
-          .if_true { yield input }
-          .followed_by do
-            input.each_node.add_block(node) do
-              process(ast, node).if_true { yield node }
+        document_or_node(input).if_true do
+          process(ast, input)
+            .if_true { yield input }
+            .followed_by do
+              input.each_node.add_block(node) do
+                process(ast, node).if_true { yield node }
+              end
             end
-          end
+        end
       end
 
       # @param [AST::Node] ast
diff --git a/spec/oga/xpath/compiler/axes/descendant_or_self_spec.rb b/spec/oga/xpath/compiler/axes/descendant_or_self_spec.rb
index 8ff4f3a..a591eb0 100644
--- a/spec/oga/xpath/compiler/axes/descendant_or_self_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/oga/xpath/compiler/axes/descendant_or_self_spec.rb
@@ -1,90 +1,111 @@
 require 'spec_helper'
 
 describe Oga::XPath::Compiler do
-  describe 'descendant-or-self axis' do
-    before do
-      @document = parse('<a><b><b><c class="x"></c></b></b></a>')
+  before do
+    @document = parse('<a foo="bar"><b><b><c class="x"></c></b></b></a>')
 
-      @a1 = @document.children[0]
-      @b1 = @a1.children[0]
-      @b2 = @b1.children[0]
-      @c1 = @b2.children[0]
-    end
+    @a1 = @document.children[0]
+    @b1 = @a1.children[0]
+    @b2 = @b1.children[0]
+    @c1 = @b2.children[0]
+  end
 
-    describe 'using the full syntax' do
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing a direct descendant' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::b')
-          .should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing a nested descendant' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::c').should == node_set(@c1)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet using multiple descendant expressions' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::a/descendant-or-self::*')
-          .should == node_set(@a1, @b1, @b2, @c1)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing a descendant with an attribute' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::c[@class="x"]')
-          .should == node_set(@c1)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing a descendant relative to a node' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'a/descendant-or-self::b')
-          .should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing the context node' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::a')
-          .should == node_set(@a1)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing the context node relative to a node' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'a/b/b/c/descendant-or-self::c')
-          .should == node_set(@c1)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing the first descendant' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::b[1]')
-          .should == node_set(@b1)
-      end
-
-      it 'returns an empty NodeSet for a non existing descendant' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, 'descendant-or-self::foobar')
-          .should == node_set
-      end
-
-      describe 'relative to a node' do
-        it 'returns a NodeSet containing a node and its descendants' do
-          evaluate_xpath(@b1, 'descendant-or-self::b')
-            .should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
-        end
-
-        it 'returns a NodeSet containing only the node itself' do
-          evaluate_xpath(@c1, 'descendant-or-self::c').should == node_set(@c1)
-        end
+  describe 'relative to a document' do
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::b' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
       end
     end
 
-    describe 'using the shorthand syntax' do
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing all <b> nodes' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, '//b').should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::c' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@c1)
       end
+    end
 
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing all the descendants of <a>' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, '//a//*').should == node_set(@b1, @b2, @c1)
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::a/descendant-or-self::*' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@a1, @b1, @b2, @c1)
       end
+    end
 
-      it 'returns a NodeSet containing all <b> nodes in an <a> node' do
-        evaluate_xpath(@document, '//a/b').should == node_set(@b1)
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::c[@class="x"]' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@c1)
       end
+    end
 
-      describe 'relative to a node' do
-        it 'returns a NodeSet containing all <b> nodes' do
-          evaluate_xpath(@c1, '//b').should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
-        end
+    describe 'a/descendant-or-self::b' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::a' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@a1)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe 'a/b/b/c/descendant-or-self::c' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@c1)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::b[1]' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@b1)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::foobar' do
+      it 'returns an empty NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe '//b' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe '//a//*' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@b1, @b2, @c1)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe '//a/b' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set(@b1)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe 'a/@foo/descendant-or-self::*' do
+      it 'returns an empty NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@document).should == node_set
+      end
+    end
+  end
+
+  describe 'relative to an element' do
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::b' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@b1).should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe 'descendant-or-self::c' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@c1).should == node_set(@c1)
+      end
+    end
+
+    describe '//b' do
+      it 'returns a NodeSet' do
+        evaluate_xpath(@c1).should == node_set(@b1, @b2)
       end
     end
   end