diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/mapping/Property.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/mapping/Property.java
index d31c01799cc3..61860fd2d292 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/mapping/Property.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/mapping/Property.java
@@ -477,7 +477,7 @@ public Generator createGenerator(RuntimeModelCreationContext context) {
 	}
 
 	public Property copy() {
-		final Property property = new Property();
+		final Property property = this instanceof SyntheticProperty ? new SyntheticProperty() : new Property();
 		property.setName( getName() );
 		property.setValue( getValue() );
 		property.setCascade( getCascade() );
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/MetadataContext.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/MetadataContext.java
index 5498d8d4a204..02276925acb5 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/MetadataContext.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/MetadataContext.java
@@ -57,7 +57,6 @@
 import static java.util.Collections.unmodifiableMap;
 import static org.hibernate.metamodel.internal.InjectionHelper.injectField;
 
-
 /**
  * Defines a context for storing information during the building of the {@link MappingMetamodelImpl}.
  * <p>
@@ -274,9 +273,10 @@ public Map<String, IdentifiableDomainType<?>> getIdentifiableTypesByName() {
 			attribute = factoryFunction.apply( entityType, genericProperty );
 			if ( !property.isGeneric() ) {
 				final PersistentAttribute<X, ?> concreteAttribute = factoryFunction.apply( entityType, property );
-				@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
-				final AttributeContainer<X> attributeContainer = (AttributeContainer<X>) entityType;
-				attributeContainer.getInFlightAccess().addConcreteGenericAttribute( concreteAttribute );
+				if ( concreteAttribute != null ) {
+					@SuppressWarnings("unchecked") final AttributeContainer<X> attributeContainer = (AttributeContainer<X>) entityType;
+					attributeContainer.getInFlightAccess().addConcreteGenericAttribute( concreteAttribute );
+				}
 			}
 		}
 		else {
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/manytomany/generic/ManyToManyGenericTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/manytomany/generic/ManyToManyGenericTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..0ef835cbaccc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/manytomany/generic/ManyToManyGenericTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,96 @@
+/*
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later
+ * Copyright Red Hat Inc. and Hibernate Authors
+ */
+package org.hibernate.orm.test.manytomany.generic;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.CascadeType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.FetchType;
+import jakarta.persistence.GeneratedValue;
+import jakarta.persistence.GenerationType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinColumn;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinTable;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToMany;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import jakarta.persistence.OneToMany;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.EntityManagerFactoryScope;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.Jpa;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.*;
+
+@Jpa(
+		annotatedClasses = {
+				ManyToManyGenericTest.NodeTree.class,
+				ManyToManyGenericTest.GenericNode.class
+		}
+)
+public class ManyToManyGenericTest {
+
+	@Test
+	void testSelfReferencingGeneric(final EntityManagerFactoryScope scope) {
+		final UUID treeId = scope.fromTransaction(em -> {
+			final NodeTree tree = new NodeTree();
+			final GenericNode<?> root = new GenericNode<>();
+			root.tree = tree;
+			final GenericNode<?> branch = new GenericNode<>();
+			branch.tree = tree;
+			tree.nodes.add(root);
+			tree.nodes.add(branch);
+			root.children.add(branch);
+			em.persist(tree);
+			return tree.id;
+		});
+
+		final NodeTree nodeTree = scope.fromEntityManager(em -> em.find(NodeTree.class, treeId));
+
+		assertThat(nodeTree, is(notNullValue()));
+		assertThat(nodeTree.id, is(treeId));
+		assertThat(nodeTree.nodes, iterableWithSize(2));
+		assertThat(nodeTree.nodes, containsInAnyOrder(List.of(
+				hasProperty("children", iterableWithSize(1)),
+				hasProperty("children", emptyIterable())
+		)));
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "tree")
+	public static class NodeTree {
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.UUID)
+		public UUID id;
+
+		@OneToMany(mappedBy = "tree", fetch = FetchType.EAGER, cascade = CascadeType.ALL)
+		public Set<GenericNode<?>> nodes = new HashSet<>();
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "node")
+	public static class GenericNode<T> {
+
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.UUID)
+		public UUID id;
+
+		@ManyToOne(optional = false)
+		@JoinColumn(name = "TREE_ID")
+		public NodeTree tree;
+
+		@ManyToMany(fetch = FetchType.EAGER, cascade = {CascadeType.PERSIST, CascadeType.DETACH})
+		@JoinTable(name = "NODE_CHILDREN",
+				joinColumns = {@JoinColumn(name = "TREE_ID", referencedColumnName = "TREE_ID"), @JoinColumn(name = "NODE_ID", referencedColumnName = "ID")},
+				inverseJoinColumns = {@JoinColumn(name = "CHILD_ID", referencedColumnName = "ID")}
+		)
+		private final Set<GenericNode<?>> children = new HashSet<>();
+
+		public Set<GenericNode<?>> getChildren() {
+			return children;
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/manytomany/generic/ManyToManyNonGenericTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/manytomany/generic/ManyToManyNonGenericTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..7e8ba3949557
--- /dev/null
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/orm/test/manytomany/generic/ManyToManyNonGenericTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+/*
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: LGPL-2.1-or-later
+ * Copyright Red Hat Inc. and Hibernate Authors
+ */
+package org.hibernate.orm.test.manytomany.generic;
+
+import jakarta.persistence.CascadeType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Entity;
+import jakarta.persistence.FetchType;
+import jakarta.persistence.GeneratedValue;
+import jakarta.persistence.GenerationType;
+import jakarta.persistence.Id;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinColumn;
+import jakarta.persistence.JoinTable;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToMany;
+import jakarta.persistence.ManyToOne;
+import jakarta.persistence.OneToMany;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.EntityManagerFactoryScope;
+import org.hibernate.testing.orm.junit.Jpa;
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test;
+
+import java.util.HashSet;
+import java.util.List;
+import java.util.Set;
+import java.util.UUID;
+
+import static org.hamcrest.MatcherAssert.assertThat;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.containsInAnyOrder;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.emptyIterable;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.hasProperty;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.is;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.iterableWithSize;
+import static org.hamcrest.Matchers.notNullValue;
+
+@Jpa(
+		annotatedClasses = {
+				ManyToManyNonGenericTest.NodeTree.class,
+				ManyToManyNonGenericTest.Node.class
+		}
+)
+public class ManyToManyNonGenericTest {
+
+	@Test
+	void testSelfReferencingGeneric(final EntityManagerFactoryScope scope) {
+		final UUID treeId = scope.fromTransaction(em -> {
+			final NodeTree tree = new NodeTree();
+			final Node root = new Node();
+			root.tree = tree;
+			final Node branch = new Node();
+			branch.tree = tree;
+			tree.nodes.add(root);
+			tree.nodes.add(branch);
+			root.children.add(branch);
+			em.persist(tree);
+			return tree.id;
+		});
+
+		final NodeTree nodeTree = scope.fromEntityManager(em -> em.find(NodeTree.class, treeId));
+
+		assertThat(nodeTree, is(notNullValue()));
+		assertThat(nodeTree.id, is(treeId));
+		assertThat(nodeTree.nodes, iterableWithSize(2));
+		assertThat(nodeTree.nodes, containsInAnyOrder(List.of(
+				hasProperty("children", iterableWithSize(1)),
+				hasProperty("children", emptyIterable())
+		)));
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "tree")
+	public static class NodeTree {
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.UUID)
+		public UUID id;
+
+		@OneToMany(mappedBy = "tree", fetch = FetchType.EAGER, cascade = CascadeType.ALL)
+		public Set<Node> nodes = new HashSet<>();
+	}
+
+	@Entity(name = "node")
+	public static class Node {
+
+		@Id
+		@GeneratedValue(strategy = GenerationType.UUID)
+		public UUID id;
+
+		@ManyToOne(optional = false)
+		@JoinColumn(name = "TREE_ID")
+		public NodeTree tree;
+
+		@ManyToMany(fetch = FetchType.EAGER, cascade = {CascadeType.PERSIST, CascadeType.DETACH})
+		@JoinTable(name = "NODE_CHILDREN",
+				joinColumns = {@JoinColumn(name = "TREE_ID", referencedColumnName = "TREE_ID"), @JoinColumn(name = "NODE_ID", referencedColumnName = "ID")},
+				inverseJoinColumns = {@JoinColumn(name = "CHILD_ID", referencedColumnName = "ID")}
+		)
+		private final Set<Node> children = new HashSet<>();
+
+		public Set<Node> getChildren() {
+			return children;
+		}
+
+		@Override
+		public String toString() {
+			return "node [%s] parent of %s".formatted(id, children.stream().map(n -> n.id).toList());
+		}
+	}
+}