[Spoilers] Inconsistency: "Thousand thousand lives" & num years since sundering

[Shamaya]

I've heard that:
1. Emet-Selch has lived a thousand thousand lives (since sundering?), or so he says.
2. It was about 12-13,000 years ago that the sundering happened.

It seems like there (2) is the one we have the most evidence for / statements from producer. But isn't that inconsistent with (1)? That is, unless he lived most of that time before the sundering. But that's a long time; feels unlikely to me. Maybe he's just exaggerating?

[sidurgu-12]

theres an ancient in elpis who watched a flower concept for centuries so it might not be too far fetched for emet to be alive for that long.

[Vyrerus]

"A thousand, thousand" taken literally is a million, but as a figure of speech it represents a number that's lost count.

"I've lived a <number of lifetimes you can't count>."

[Feronar]

I've heard that:
1. Emet-Selch has lived a thousand thousand lives (since sundering?), or so he says.
2. It was about 12-13,000 years ago that the sundering happened.

It seems like there (2) is the one we have the most evidence for / statements from producer. But isn't that inconsistent with (1)? That is, unless he lived most of that time before the sundering. But that's a long time; feels unlikely to me. Maybe he's just exaggerating?

It's hyperbole, and meant to express a very long time in a poetic manner. It's not meant to be literal.

[Jandor]

He was just being a bit of a drama-queen.

[Rannie]

He was just being a bit of a drama-queen.

Only a bit? Emet?... nah that would never happen.

[WhiteArchmage]

He was just being a bit of a drama-queen.

Emet? A drama queen? Say it ain't so!

[Garnetiferous]

That line does make me wonder though... what was the average time from birth to "returning to the star" for the Ancients?

[Jandor]

That line does make me wonder though... what was the average time from birth to "returning to the star" for the Ancients?

It's implied that the 12'000 years since the sundering is a very long time, even for an Ascian/Ancient. So at a guess, and it is just a guess really, I'd say about a millennia or two.

Makes their lives ridiculously long-lived by our standards, while still making the time Elidibus and co have spent trying to rejoin everything also ridiculously long, even by their own standards.

[Bright-Flower]

It's not literal, it's like '40 days and 40 nights' was also not a literal number of days but just phrase that meant 'a really long time.'

Or like 'I've been waiting forever to play this new game.'

Just hyperbole for the sake of a point.