They probably meant something entirely different - as in not so much that we are literally made of elemental materials forged in a burning sphere in space (a "reductionist" viewpoint) but rather than we contain an "aspect" of star-stuff, i.e. we may be animals that come from the earth, but we also contain within us an aspect of even the stars (more "holistic"?).

And perhaps beyond, if you believe that aspects of our Minds transcend physical reality itself - e.g. if we were a computer game but like, we could have been talking butterflies rather than talking apes, yet we were modelled after a "higher" world, to have five fingers on each hand and to be able to write our own stories, even make our own computer simulations "below" us.

Anyway there is no need to presume that they would have meant it in such an extremely literal manner as is common today.